The Nigerian Woman And Circumcision: An Act That Should Be Stopped

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The Nigerian Woman And Circumcision: An Act That Should Be Stopped

Female Genital mutilation also known as (FGM) in Nigeria as a customary practice, has become an issue of great concern. It has become a major problem leading to many girl escaping and claiming refugee status abroad.

The practice of female genital mutilation popularly known as “Female circumcision” is a traditional practice all over Nigeria and Africa in general.

Women who have had female Genital mutilation are more likely to experience difficulties during child birth and their babies are more likely to die as a result of traditional culture. According to the new United Nations study released recently, which reiterated calls for total abolition of the practice which currently affect about 100 million people world wide.

The study gave a clear evidence of the harmful effects of this traditional practice on mothers and their babies, (its serious complications during child birth which lead to caesarean section, heavy bleeding after birth and prolonged hospitalization with their degree of complications increasing, depending on the extent and severity of the female genital mutilation.

Death rate among babies during and immediately after birth is also high. In some cases up to about 55 percent of death is recorded, the study which was carried out in hospitals revealed that death and harm rates were probably significantly high in the world all over, as many woman in the society due to F G M practice give birth at home.
As a result of this study, we have for the first time, evidence that deliveries among women who have been subjected to circumcision are significantly most likely to have complication and The World Health Organization (WHO) Assistant Director General for family health and community health, Joy Phumaphi said the practice is particularly common with African countries which Nigeria is part of.

Women who have been subjected to the most serious form of female Genital mutilation face the excision of part or all of the external genitalia and slitting/narrowing of the vaginal opening will have an average of about so percent or more caesarean sections compared with those who have not had any form of female Genital mutilation.

In Nigeria today, the issue of female Genital mutilation is a traditional practice in the country that the community can persecute individuals who fail to comply with the norms and the government of the day are not doing any thing to protect such persons. The procedures of female circumcision practice in the country are crude and some of the results could be hazardous, sometimes leads to death.

The Nigeria customs authorizes the traditional herbalist to cut and remove the clitoris during circumcision. The three major tribes in the country, namely the Yoruba’s, Hausas and the Ibos of the Eastern part of the country carry out similar practice with some differences in the process of carrying out this practice. Generally, the crude operation is painful and against the will of the person undergoing the operation.

Among the Ibos tribe, female genital mutilation is done to the girl between the ages of two week old and three years and sometimes this is done to young ladies who are about to get married, they may demand such a procedure to be done before marriage. It is a record in Nigeria, that many children and even adults have died as a result of this dangerous act, that is been carried out in our traditional society.

The federal department of statistics of the federal government, conducted a practical survey of this issues in the 36 states of the federation and the FCT, and according to Felicia Izah’s report (2007), Edo State had the highest refugee claim in Italy on the basis of this females genital mutilation (Circumcision) The Esan culture of Edo state was widely published in the Toronto Star Newspaper on July 10, 2008, page 15a. The Nigeria community in Toronto Protested against Female Genital Mutilation (Circumcision) on the deportation of Jane Okojie from Canada to Nigeria due to fear of persecution and to avoid the female circumcision of her Canadian born daughter.

The government at all levels and the world should please look into this issue and the put measures to stop this act and also protect this young girls and children that are affected by the act of mutilating in this country and the world, in order for us to save the future of the young generation of girls and children.