The Country Representative of the UNFPA, Mr Eugene Kongnyuy, said there was the need to create enabling policies and laws that pertained to women, youth, population, and poverty eradication to ensure Nigeria attains the Sustainable Development Goals 5 – Achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls.

He said, “For every 800 women that died globally on a daily basis as a result of pregnancy-related causes, 111 were from Nigeria. Out of every woman that died during childbirth, four had serious injuries such as obstetric fistula.” “FGM puts women and girls at risk of maternal mortality; its unseen manifestations include physical and sexual dysfunction, increased risk of mental health challenges. Girls who suffer FGM are also prone to substance abuse.”

Kongnyuy said female genital mutilation hindered women’s sexual and reproductive health as well as increases the risk of gender-based violence.

The Director of Advocacy and Communications, Pharm Access Foundation, Dr Olamide Okulaja, said proper sexual education would play an important role in reducing female genital mutilation in Nigeria.

“In today’s world, cultural practices that encourage FGM should be discouraged. We need to enlighten our people about the dangers of FGM. It can make a girl lose confidence in herself and affect her for the rest of her life.

“Sustainable development cannot be achieved without ensuring that all women, men, girls, and boys enjoy the dignity and human right to expand their capability, secure decent work and contribute to economic growth,” Okulaja said.

The Project Director, HACEY Health Initiative, Mr Isaiah Owolabi, urged the private sector to support empowerment interventions aimed at empowering women and adolescent girls to reduce their risk and vulnerability to gender-based violence.

Source: Punch