The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) says the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a human right abuse and violates the rights and dignity of women and girls and called for an end to the phenomenon.
FGM is a practice in traditional cultures that involves the partial or total removal of the external genitalia (clitoris) of girls and young women for non-medical reasons.
It said FGM was a form of sexual and gender-based violence and a harmful cultural practice and added that when the situation was not eradicated completely, could hinder the development of women and girls, deepen the poverty cycle and derail efforts in achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs).
Dr Agnes Kayitankore, UNFPA Deputy Country Representative to Ghana made these known at Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region during the celebration of International Day for Human Rights to end all violence and commemoration of 16 days of activism against SGBV.
The event, which was held under the theme, “orange the world, end violence against women now!”, was to also to solicit inputs from stakeholders including Ghana Health Service, Ghana Education Service, traditional authorities, civil society organizations, state institutions among others towards the effective implementation of a project in 2022 geared at ending FGM in all its forms in the region.
Dr Kayotankore noted that the Ghana Domestic Violence Report in 2016, revealed that approximately, 27 percent of Ghanaians had experienced at least one form of domestic violence and 33 to 37 percent of women had experienced violence within intimate partner relations.
She said a survey conducted by the United Nations Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF) also revealed that four percent of Ghanaian girls aged between 15 to 49 had undergone FGM practice with the prevalence in the Upper East, Upper West, Bono, and Bono East Regions.
“The situation hinders the realization of zero tolerance to SGBV in these communities and to end the harmful practice, there is a need to shape social norms and increase advocacy on the implication of FGM.
“Ending FGM is not only empowerment for girls and women but also, a quest to reduce poverty and headway to achieve development in the country and the SDGs by 2030,” she added.
Dr Matilda Aberese-Ako, a Lecturer at the University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho in the Volta Region noted that research conducted in 2019 had shown that FGM was still prevalent in the Bawku Municipality, Pusiga District, and parts of the Kassena-Nankana areas.
She said the Bawku Municipality recorded 82 percent of the cases while the Pusiga District recorded 62 percent and noted that the practice was an imbedded culture as some areas considered it as puberty rites.
She, therefore, advocated for a multi-sectorial approach that respected and involved the prone communities to understand the harmful effects of the practice, and stated that it would enable stakeholders particularly traditional authorities to modify some of the practices.
Mr Mammah Tenii, Programme Specialist of the UNFPA Decentralised Office in Tamale, said in 2022, UNFPA would begin the implementation of a three-year project to sensitize and advocate the end to FGM practice in the identified communities and called for collective efforts and support from all stakeholders to end the canker.
Mr Mahamadu Assibi Azonko, Upper East Regional Coordinating Director noted that the practice of FGM in Ghana was criminal, however, it was still in border communities and there was the need for concerted efforts from all stakeholders to deal with the problem.
Source: www.ghanaweb.com