Female genital mutilation (FGM) is one harmful practice happening in some parts of Cross River State of Nigeria despite the national and state laws put in place some years back to prohibit all forms of violence against women and girls including harmful traditional practices. Reasons for the practice are tied to curbing promiscuity among girls, initiation into womanhood, culture and tradition amongst others.

According to the Nigerian Population Commission (2014), an estimated 19.9 million Nigerian women have undergone FGM meaning that approximately 16% of the 125 million FGM survivors worldwide are Nigerians. Also, the Nigeria Demography and Health Survey (2013) has revealed that eighty-two percent of women in Nigeria undergo circumcision before age 5 and female circumcision is more prevalent in the southern zones than in the northern zones. Cross River state in the south-south region of Nigeria recorded the prevalence rate of 32.2%, ranking third highest in the region.

As part of the adolescent sexual and reproductive health & rights safe space programme, Girls’ Power Initiative provides information to girls about the dangers of FGM. This has enabled most of the girls to speak against the practice in their communities and are able to speak on their own behalf. Recently, one of the centre girls – Joy, 15 years, who is in her third year of the programme, shared her story thus:

“My mother proposed to my family that I should be circumcised in June 2017 because culturally I was ripe for it, however, I used the information gained from GPI to educate my parents and brothers on the effects of FGM. I stood against it and successfully convinced my parents who later changed the plan.”

She appreciates GPI for providing such information and encourages other girls to make their voices heard concerning harmful traditional practices