Clerics, Communities to get Sensitization on ENDFGM

Clerics and communities targeted in the six local governments with prevalence rate on Female Genital Mutilation and Circumcision in Osun have been outlined to get awareness and education on End Female Genital Mutilation and Circumcision.

This was revealed through the communique of Community Awareness Project (CAMP), by the Out Of School Youth in Osun, Health workers and Non-state actors, put together by Society For Life Changers and Good Parental Care (SoLife), in collaboration with Osun Ministry of Health, State Primary Health Care Board, Ministry of Education, and Non-state actors among others, funded by Positive Action for Girls and Women.

According to the representative of the implementing organization, Mr Aremu Stephen Chairman BOT, who disclosed he local governments with prevalent rate as Ede North, Ifelodun, Ife Central, Olaoluwa, Oriade and Orolu local governments, he added that the roles of clerics in this communities for sensitization and awareness on ENDFGM cannot be overemphasized, being that they are major stakeholders at the communities.

He averred that the clerics and other leaders' roles as target is based on their roles and responsibilities as religious leaders, coupled with the functionality of the existing law against FGM campaign/awareness creation across the selected local government areas.

At the CAMP project which held in Osogbo the state capital, the importance of the training on campaign/sensitization, access to correct information about the prevalence rate in Osun and Nigeria as a whole was identified, and call out for collaborations with non governmental agencies working on EndFGM at the state to scale up awareness was also addressed.

He further added that stopping the inhuman practice against girls and women on female genital mutilation and circumcision needs consistent behavioral change with better response to challenge the FGM practice in Osun, despite that 2016 Survey by UNICEF shows Osun with prevalent rate of 76.3%, and the breakdown of the local governments with prevalence rates are Ede North 88%, Ifelodun 81%, Olaoluwa 78%, Orolu 76%, Oriade 71% and Ife Central has 67% prevalence.