Mrs. Juliana Azumah Mensah, Minister of Women & Children’s Affairs
The President of Ghanaian Association for Women’s Welfare, Ms Florence Ali, has urged Ghanaians to frown against the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in the country.
According to her, the practice violates the rights of the victims who suffer both emotional and physical pains adding that it is hire time Ghanaians, especially women fight against this unacceptable act.
Ms. Ali made this call when she was speaking at a Press conference held in Accra last Monday to observe the World Day against the practice of Female Genital Mutilation with much emphasis in Africa.
The event was jointly organised by the Ghanaian Association for women’s welfare and the Ministry of women and children’s Affairs (MOWAC).
She said the day was instituted in 2003 by the Inter African Committee on harmful Traditional practices (IAC) with a call to international organisations to take concrete measures to deal with FGM.
She noted that the practice is the most dangerous and degrading surgical procedure that women and girls are ever made to endure in the name of tradition, adding that the procedure involves the total or partial removal of the external female genital organs.
Quoting World Health Organisation (WHO) statistics, she noted that an estimated figure of 130 – 140 million girls and women in the world have undergone FGM.
“FGM is a violation of the several human rights including the right to life, to physical integrity, to the highest attainable standard of health and freedom from physical or mental violence, “she said.
Ms. Ali further called on government and law enforcement agencies to help protect innocent and helpless babies from the practice of FGM, as it violates their basic right to human dignity.
STORY BY: EVANS OSEI BAFFOUR