BENIN CITY – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has restated that Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) remains a grave violation of the rights of girls and women, calling for stronger advocacy, legislation, and community action to eliminate the practice in Nigeria.
Chief of UNICEF Lagos Field Office, Ms. Celine Lafoucriere, made the declaration at a two-day Media Dialogue to Support Advocacy to End FGM in Nigeria, held in Benin City on Wednesday.
The programme was organised by UNICEF in collaboration with the Oyo State Ministry of Information and Orientation.
Lafoucriere disclosed that nearly 20 million women and girls in Nigeria had undergone FGM, making the country the third highest globally.
“This is a huge number that we cannot be blind or deaf to,” she said, stressing that although the practice is outlawed, it continues in several communities, driven by harmful myths and traditional beliefs.
She warned that no cultural or traditional practice should undermine the health, rights, or future of girls.
“The good news is that change is possible, and change is happening through collaborations and initiatives like the Movement for Good, which is led by the Federal Government of Nigeria in collaboration with UNICEF. Millions of Nigerian girls, boys, men and women have pledged to protect girls from being cut. Communities are speaking out. Survivors, very crucially, are leading the way, and young people are demanding a better future,” Lafoucriere said.
She urged media practitioners to leverage their platforms to amplify survivors’ voices, challenge entrenched practices, and drive behavioural change.
“This is where you have the power to shape narratives and to inspire families to choose differently for their daughters. Together, we can build a better and safer future for every single girl in Nigeria,” she added.
In her remarks, UNICEF Communication Officer, Lagos Field Office, Mrs. Blessing Ejiofor, said the media dialogue was designed to strengthen advocacy and ensure the anti-FGM message reaches every community across the country.
She said although campaigns had led to a gradual decline in the practice, UNICEF was aiming for total elimination, noting that the Child Rights Act criminalises FGM in Nigeria.
“No woman or girl should go through this harmful process. It is a criminal offence and we must intensify advocacy to end it,” she stated.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Oyo State Ministry of Information, Mr. Rotimi Babalola, said the workshop underlined the government’s resolve to protect children from all forms of abuse.
Babalola explained that the ministry had carried out advocacy campaigns with security agencies and the judiciary to highlight their roles in enforcing the law and ending the practice.
“We still have a lot of work to do. We have done several advocacy programmes; it’s now the turn of the media. Extra efforts are needed to totally eliminate FGM, and we must sustain collaboration until we achieve it,” he said.
