End FGM to Protect Our Daughters, NGO Urges Parents in Kwara

A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Global Hope for Women and Children Foundation (GLOHWOC), has renewed calls on parents in Kwara State to stop the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), warning that the act exposes girls to serious health complications and could lead to untimely death.

Speaking during a sensitisation programme in Ilorin South, Dr Christy Abayomi-Oluwole, founder of GLOHWOC, said the campaign—held in collaboration with the Kwara State Ministry of Social Development—was part of efforts to foster community awareness under the theme, Advocacy and Sensitisation on Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation.

“Female Genital Mutilation is a violation of the rights of the girl-child, and we must collectively reject it,” she said. “Kwara State is unfortunately among the top states with high prevalence of FGM. This is why we must keep educating our communities, especially the men, who often have the final say in family decisions, to end this dangerous tradition.”

Dr Abayomi-Oluwole also stressed the importance of enforcing the Child Rights Act, which prohibits FGM, urging stakeholders to ensure it is not just a law on paper.

Also speaking at the event, the Director of Social Welfare in the Kwara State Ministry of Social Development, Mr James Kayode, said the state government, in collaboration with UNICEF and other partners, is intensifying efforts to eliminate FGM.

“We have embarked on community outreaches to educate people on the dangers of FGM and why it must stop. This practice is harmful, outdated, and must be completely eradicated,” he said.

Former Director of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) in Kwara State, Mr Olusegun Adeyemi, added that there is no religious justification for the act. He called on community and religious leaders to step up their advocacy.

“Religion does not support mutilation of any kind. What we are dealing with is purely a cultural issue, and it is high time we confronted it head-on. Community leaders must rise and speak against it in their domains,” Adeyemi advised.

The sensitisation programme is part of ongoing efforts to build community resistance against FGM and promote the rights and health of girls across Kwara State.

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