FGM: Communities Renounce Harmful Practice In Seven Ebonyi Council Areas


Seven local governments out of the thirteen council areas in Ebonyi state have publicly rejected the practice of female genital mutilation, having realised that it poses health dangers on women and girls. The local governments include Ebonyi, Abakaliki, Izzi, Ohaukwu, Afikpo North, Ishielu and Ivo local government areas.

At Ishiaka, the council headquarters of Ivo local government area last Saturday, during the public abandonment of FGM practice by Ivo people, His Royal Highness, Eze Moses Okafor Ngele, Agu lll of Ishiagu, said they would track girl-child birth to ensure that they were not mutilated in the communities.


The monarch, who is also the chairman, Ivo local government area traditional rulers council, said, “we will set up surveillance system in Ishiagu community that will track the birth of every girl- child and monitor them to ensure that they are not subjected to FGM.

“We will handover any community member, who engages in FGM to appropriate security agencies for prosecution, in accordance with the Ebonyi state Violence Against Persons (prohibition) Law 2018, or any other law prohibiting the practice in Ebonyi state.”



UNICEF, FGM consultant Imo and Ebonyi, Mr Benjamin Mbakwam, while commending the communities for taking bold step to end FGM phenomenon, reiterated UNICEF commitment to train police and other security agencies on the campaign against FGM in Ebonyi state.

Dr. Emmanuel Abba, state director National Orientation Agency, who had been leading the campaign against FGM in Ebonyi state since 2014, expressed hope that the communities would maintain their stands on FGM abandonment.

Abba said after achieving the target on FGM in all the 13 local government areas, they would proceed to other harmful practices in the state, as none of the harmful practices were neglected.

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