The Executive Director of Trailblazer Initiative, Dr. Dare Adaramoye has stressed the need to put stronger legal frameworks in place as a measure to end the harmful practices of female genital mutilation in our society. He noted that there are currently serious gaps in the reporting and justice chains that allow perpetrators to go unpunished. He urged state governments to establish specialized courts that will handle gender-based violence cases, including FGM.
TheMediaGood Newspaper can report that there is a low rate of prosecution of offenders despite the adoption of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Law in many states.
Dr. Adaramoye made this call at 3-day Multi-sectoral Engagement meeting organized by the Oyo State Government and UNICEF. The workshop is focused on improving justice system responses and survivor-centered approaches in addressing FGM. The conference brought together law enforcement officials, judicial actors, NGOs, government agencies and religious leaders.
The gender advocate, Adaramoye said: “We’ve identified a serious gap in the chain of reporting and justice. It’s high time the law took its full course and perpetrators are held accountable,” he said.
He encouraged parents, caregivers, and the general public, “FGM does not prevent promiscuity. It is not culture. Give your girl child education, not mutilation.”
In the same vein, the UNICEF Child Protection Specialist, Mr. Denis Onoise emphasized the urgency of eliminating the harmful practice, outlining the four types of FGM: clitoridectomy, excision, infibulation, and unclassified forms.
He urged state House of Assemblies, law enforcement and the justice sectors to take stronger action, including prosecuting offenders and increasing budget allocations for FGM programs. He also commended traditional leaders and men’s advocacy groups who are taking steps to abandon the practice. “Our goal is clear, we need to increase our steps ten times beyond what we are doing now to eradicate FGM in our States by 2030,” he said.
The Permanent Secretary, Oyo State Ministry of Information, Mr Rotimi Babalola, who represented the Commissioner, Prince Dotun Oyelade described the engagement as “apt and timely,” citing the continued prevalence of FGM despite the existence of relevant laws such as the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (VAPP) and the Child Rights Law.
He pointed out that all five states – Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo, and Edo – already have legal frameworks in place, such as the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act (VAPP) and the Child Rights Law, which criminalize the practice. However, low levels of reporting, weak enforcement, inadequate survivor-centered responses and fragmented inter-sectoral collaboration have continued to limit their effectiveness.
The workshop is expected to improve participants’ knowledge of FGM laws, survivor-centered responses, and reporting procedures. It also aims to establish and strengthen coordination mechanisms among the law enforcement, health, social welfare, and justice sectors.