PORT HARCOURT, Rivers State – July 13, 2025 – The Rivers State Government, in a resolute collaborative effort with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), is intensifying its campaign to eradicate Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) across the state. This assertive demand was underscored at the conclusion of a three-day training program for community facilitators, organized by the State Ministry of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation in partnership with the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme.
The training, part of the “Movement for Good to End Female Genital Mutilation (FGM),” aimed to bolster the capacity of local women who will serve as key sensitizers in their respective communities, raising awareness about the profound dangers FGM poses to female children.
Dr. Anslem Audu, UNICEF Chief Field Officer for Port Harcourt, elucidated the strategic intent behind the initiative. “What we are doing is to build a capacity of community women to be able to carry this message down to the community level,” Dr. Audu explained. “We are building the capacity of 60 facilitators, and they will be armed with the instrument to go back to their community to pass the message to end Female Genital Mutilation.”
Dr. Audu emphatically described FGM as a “harmful practice that people have somehow accepted as a culture.” He stressed that UNICEF and its partners are diligently working to illuminate communities on the adverse effects, stating, “no girl or woman should suffer Female Genital Mutilation. What we are doing is an effort towards eradicating Female Genital Mutilation.”
Expressing strong optimism, the UNICEF Chief Field Officer declared an ambitious target: “By the grace of God, in the year 2030, this Female Genital Mutilation should finally be eradicated in the whole of Rivers State and Nigeria as a whole.” He further elaborated on the detrimental impact of FGM, highlighting its severe consequences on a woman’s sexual well-being and potential for marital discord and promiscuity, asserting it as a “social vice that needs to be eradicated.” Dr. Audu urged all indigenes and residents, especially parents, to refrain from subjecting their girl children to FGM, reiterating, “because it is a harmful practice.”
Adding to the discourse, Professor Justina Jumbo, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation, Rivers State, revealed that participants for this initial training phase were strategically selected from four local government areas: Abua, Ahoada East, Ahoada West, and Emuoha.
“We also used the opportunity to talk about gender-based violence, adolescent reproductive health, and all other female reproductive health issues. It is a total package,” Prof. Jumbo stated. She acknowledged the persistent nature of FGM despite ongoing awareness efforts, attributing its continuation to “cultural beliefs and ignorance.” This multi-pronged approach underscores the commitment of the Rivers State Government and its UN partners to a future free from FGM.
