Oyo State First Lady has called for more collaborative efforts to end the scourge of Female Genital Mutilation and Violence against Women and Girls.
The need for more collaborative efforts across all gender and strata towards ending the spate of female genital mutilation took centre stage at a symposium held recently in Ibadan.
Experts made the call to commemorate this year’s international day for zero tolerance for female genital mutilation.
In the last 30 years, the prevalence in Female genital mutilation has been on the rise among Nigerian girls aged 0-14.
According to UNICEF, Nigeria accounts for the third highest number of women and girls who have undergone FGM worldwide.
Nationally, 27% of Nigerian women between the ages of 15 and 49 were victims of FGM, as at 2012.
Sukurat Akinade(not her real name) a 32 year old woman is a survivor of the female genital mutilation from childhood.
She said the experience has been devastating as her sexual life with her husband is filled with pain.
Now, she has been abandoned by her husband who left her the their two kids to take care of them alone.
She wants her children to get the best of education saying she only got little education
At this symposium organised to campaign against female genital mutilation and its harmful effects, stakeholders believe that this deadly practice is detrimental to the wellbeing of the girl child and contributes greatly to maternal mortality.
Wife of the Oyo State Governor Tamunomini a special guest of honour at the event wants relevant stakeholders to intensify their efforts in campaigning against the deadly act to reduce menace.
Though experts at this symposium revealed that the rate of the practice has declined in the state significantly, they believe that a cultural shift is necessary to abolish the practice so as to stem the tide of violence against women in the country.
EXPERTS CALL FOR CONCERTED EFFORTS TO STOP CERVICAL CANCER
Cervical cancer kills eight thousand women in Nigeria every year.
A team of researchers, doctors and field workers in Gombe are working to fight this deadly enemy.
They are raising awareness and providing vaccines that reduce the chances of infection by nighty-seven percent.
Cervical cancer is the second most common among women, just behind breast cancer.
Caused by the human papillomavirus, this disease is mainly carried by men but its effect on women is deadly.
The pain, the financial cost, the emotional trauma and often death are all preventable.
The solution is just knowledge and vaccine.
Researchers estimate that almost all adult males and females at least once in their lifetime would be infected with the virus.
The immune system of ninety percent would fight off the virus, the other ten percent may not be so lucky and later develop cancer.
The cancer-causing virus can be cured if detected early. The advice is to screen at least once in five years.
Free screening for Human Papillomavirus in Gombe state started in 2021. A massive public awareness drive is supporting the medical effort.
The Human papillomavirus society of Gombe is committed to saving as many as they can from this needless, preventable killer.
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