The President’s wife, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, has called on parents and guardians everywhere to defend the rights, vulnerabilities, and general welfare of girls in the nation.
In honor of the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), Tinubu made this declaration in a statement that was signed on Tuesday under the heading “Her Voice, Her Future: Investing in Survivors Led Movements to End Female Genital Mutilation.”
She pointed out that the anniversary of FGM serves as a further reminder to parents and guardians of their duty to defend the rights of all Nigerian girls.
“We are once again reminded of the responsibility we bear to protect the rights, vulnerability and well-being of the girl child.
“Today, I call upon parents, particularly mothers, traditional leaders, and community leaders, where Female Genital Mutilation persists to consider the damage and irreversible health implications inflicted on our daughters.
“While acknowledging the progress made in the fight against Female Genital Mutilation in Nigeria, we must confront the practices that still persist, causing irreparable harm to our girls.”
“I commend all our First Ladies of States, other Non Governmental Organizations, Civil Society Organizations and Health care professionals for lending their voices to the fight against Female Genital Mutilation across the entire nation.
“As we collectively strive for the full eradication of Female Genital Mutilation in Nigeria by 2030, let all hands be on deck and let us continue to speak up against this injustice done to our girls”, Tinubu said.
“It is a traditional harmful practice that involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia or other injury to female genital organs for non-medical reasons,” states the World Health Organization, regarding female genital mutilation.
In the nations where the practice is most prevalent, it is believed that over 200 million girls and women have had their female genitalia removed. Furthermore, an estimated 3 million girls are at danger of female genital mutilation annually; the majority of these girls have their genitalia cut before the age of 15.