Kate Henshaw condemns female genital mutilation and calls on perpetrators to stop

Kate+Henshaw+condemns+female+genital+mutilation+and+calls+on+perpetrators+to+stop
Kate Henshaw Calls for End to Female Genital MutilationKate Henshaw Calls for End to Female Genital Mutilation Nollywood actress Kate Henshaw has strongly condemned the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM), urging perpetrators to cease the harmful act. As a UNICEF campaigner, Henshaw emphasized that FGM violates the rights of girls and women. Recognized internationally as such, the practice involves altering or damaging female genitals for non-medical reasons. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 230 million girls and women worldwide have undergone FGM. Nigeria ranks third in terms of its prevalence, with an estimated one-tenth of the global survivors residing in the country. Henshaw denounced FGM as unscientific and devoid of moral or medical value. She appealed to women who perform the practice on others to stand as vanguards of protection instead. “We have to talk to our sex, women, because we are on the front lines of these harmful practices,” Henshaw said. “Women are the gatekeepers of a number of harmful practices.” She urged more action on the home front, emphasizing the role of empathy and awareness. “We should always raise the alarm if something is harmful to another human being,” Henshaw concluded. Several individuals and institutions have made efforts to eradicate FGM in Nigeria, but Henshaw believes that more needs to be done, particularly at the community level.

Nollywood actress Kate Henshaw has called for an end to female genital mutilation (FGM) and urged perpetrators to stop it.

Henshaw, a campaigner for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Saturday.

According to NAN, FGM is internationally recognized as a violation of the rights of girls and women.

This involves changing or damaging the female genitals for non-medical reasons.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), by 2023, approximately 230 million girls and women worldwide had suffered some form of FGM. Between 2015 and 2030, approximately 68 million girls were at risk of the same.

It was noted that Nigeria has the third highest rate of female genital mutilation and about one-tenth of the 230 million women and girls who have survived female genital mutilation worldwide live in the country, making it one of the countries with the highest rates of female genital mutilation in Africa.

The organization also said there is a worrying trend that girls in Nigeria and many parts of Africa are increasingly being exposed to the practice at a younger age, often before their fifth birthday.

Henshaw therefore strongly condemned the practice, saying: “the act is not supported by science and has no medical or moral value.”

She urged women who were performing this practice on others to stop it and stand up as vanguards to protect the women.

She explained that “the same women who are doing it are the same women who are going to end it.

“Times have changed, we are in the 21st century, we can no longer talk about practices that are harmful, but we have to talk about things that add value to the female child.”

The Nollywood actress said it is important to keep talking about the issue so that members of the association know how far those who championed the law have gone.

According to her, several individuals and institutions have made efforts to ensure that FGM is completely eradicated in Nigeria.

She called for more action, especially on the home front. She said: ‘We have to talk to our sex, women, because we are on the front lines of these harmful practices.’

“Women are the gatekeepers of a number of harmful practices, we have some for widowhood, even domestic violence and child abuse are sometimes committed by women.

“So we need to be more empathetic, give ourselves a chance, give young girls a chance to grow and have a life, because there is nothing to gain from FGM.

“We should always raise the alarm if something is harmful to another human being,” she added.

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