UNICEF urges collective action to end female genital mutilation
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has renewed its call for urgent collective action to eliminate Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Nigeria, describing the practice as a grave violation of the rights, health, and dignity of women and girls. Speaking at a two-day media dialogue organised by the Oyo State Ministry of Information and Orientation in collaboration with UNICEF in Benin, Edo State, the Chief of UNICEF Lagos Field Office, Celine Lafoucriere, revealed that more than 20 million Nigerian women and girls have undergone FGM, most before their sixth birthday. “At that young age, they are completely powerless — unable to resist or even understand what is happening to them,” Lafoucriere said. She stressed that no culture or tradition should endanger the future of girls, urging the media to amplify survivors’ voices, challenge harmful norms, and inspire families to choose […]