Study: FGM widespread in Nigeria
A report to be finalised in June is accompanied by video and photo evidence, and is said by the author to prove conclusively that the practice remains a serious problem.
The findings contradict claims by the Nigerian Ambassador to Ireland in the wake of the Pamela Izevbekhai controversy that FGM did not happen in the country.
Nigerian human rights lawyer, Istifano John, who is heading the research project, told the current edition of the Irish Catholic, that efforts by local campaigners had helped reduce the incidence of FGM, but it remained prevalent in many communities.
“This is a very serious situation. It is done to children between the ages of one and six, and later with girls between 12 years and 25 years. In some cases it is a wedding rite,” he said.
“Laws must be introduced to end the practice and people have to be enlightened about it.” His views were backed by missionary priests who spoke to the Irish Catholic on condition of anonymity.
The Department of Foreign Affairs gave e48,000 to the Human Rights and Conflict Resolution Centre (HRCRC) in Nigeria to carry out the research. The funding request was backed by the Kiltegan Fathers, an Irish missionary order with a long record of service there.
“The project was aimed at reducing the frequency of FGM in Ebonyi State, principally by advocacy and education work to reduce the practice,” a department statement said. “The project also included provision for basic data collection and reporting on FGM, as well as subsequent monitoring.”
While the findings of the study deal only with Ebonyi, a state in southern Nigeria, they challenge the comments of Kefamo Chikwe, Nigerian Ambassador to Ireland, and Michael Aondoakaa, the country’s attorney general, who both dismissed the idea that FGM continues in their country.
Ms Izevbekhai, who is from Lagos, also in southern Nigeria, is claiming asylum in Ireland on the grounds that her two young daughters will be subjected to FGM by her husband’s family if they are returned to Nigeria. She claims her first daughter died of blood loss after the procedure.
Her case received a setback in recent weeks when it emerged a medical report backing up her claim was a forgery. She says her husband, who is still in Nigeria, obtained the forgery without her knowledge after the doctor who attended their dying daughter refused to release the real document without payment.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said it had not yet seen the evidence gathered by the HRCRC.
