5 youths get anti-genital mutilation award

Five youths have been recognized for their actions to end Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), a cultural practice in various parts of Nigeria.

The YouthHub Africa said it launched the campaign as the practice tagged ‘#EndFGMNG campaign’, through a partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA) Nigeria.

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“Women and girls have faced violations when it comes to their Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR), Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) inclusive.

“This year, Youth Hub Africa in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund, launched a social media challenge for young Nigerians to share the creative ways they are working to stop the practice of Female Genital Mutilation in their respective communities,” the organiser said.

Oluwadamilola Amoo, said she first heard about the practice as a teenager, about three years ago. “The agony of the process struck me, though I was only 19.

“And from that very moment, I proposed in my heart to do all that is humanly possible to end this age-old practice.

“With this determination, I volunteered for an NGO, and later led a project that trained 1,000 teenagers in 44 communities of Osun State.”

Dieudonne Idam Eze, a winner from the South East, had engaged students of Azuiyiokwu Girls High School in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State. “We have been able to sensitize 1,600 students.”

Kayode Teslim said he did his sensitization in Ekiti. “I and some young men visited King’s market at Aramoko Ekiti to educate market women on the negative effects of FGM.”

For Sylvia Chioma, there was the need to break the language barrier. “We’ve been able to break the language barrier by translating (and are still translating) our anti-FGM handbooks to Nigerian languages.”

Key messages to discourage FGM practice were crafted using illustrations in Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo and other languages.

Da’boss Olatunbosun, organized a session for housewives and elderly women in the South West where he explained the complications and effects of FGM on girls.