Two Score of adolescent girls participated in the three-day capacity building on using digital technology skills to raise awareness and prevention of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Ekiti.
The programme was organized by Action Health Incorporated (AHI) with the support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA). 40 adolescent girls (30 in-school and 10 out of school) were trained on the use of technological tools to end FGM.
The Gender/FGM Analyst, UNFPA, Mrs. Uzoma Ayodeji, welcomed all participants and told them that the training will build their capacity as FGM Champions and equip them with the needed digital technology skills needed to raise awareness of FGM.
She said that any alteration or mutilation of female genitalia significantly alters the ability to perform physiological functions like childbirth, and therefore call for an end to FGM
In the event held at Atolagbe Memorial Hall, behind the Federal Polytechnic satellite campus, Ado-Ekiti, participants who were drawn from various communities and schools were exposed to vital tools needed for digital advocacy by the IT experts.
AHI Program Officer, Fatimah Idris who decried the prevalence of FGM in Ekiti stressed that all hands must be on deck to lower the curve.
Expressing the commitment of the organization towards the eradication of the harmful practices against girls and women in SouthWest, particularly in Ekiti, Miss Idris said the training would equip the participants with needed technological tools for the task.
The participants were taken through basic knowledge in graphics design, content creation, and digital marketing to create awareness of all forms of violence against women.
They were encouraged to create social media accounts such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and the likes where they can reach out and share the knowledge garnered with their colleagues and others.
According to her, there is a need for young girls to serve as champions and ambassadors for the advocacy against the practice, adding that stakeholders should coalesce efforts in order to end all forms of violence against women in the state, especially genital mutilation.
“ AHI is a non-governmental organization that promotes the health and well-being of young people in Nigeria.
“ This three-day capacity building for 40 adolescent girls will help and equip them with digital technology skills that can be used to raise awareness for FGM.
“ Skills such as content creation, digital marketing, and graphics design would be taught at the training. After being equipped with the skills, they would become FGM champions raising awareness of FGM in their various schools and communities.
“ At the end of the training, the best three students will be awarded with mini laptop computers and others will be given certificates of participation. This capacity training has also been conducted in Oyo state.
“We believe that whatever the young people learn in the training, they will go out there and become advocates against FGM because it is a very harmful practice and a violation of the rights of the girls. The practice has to stop and this is one of the ways to ensure young girls support and create awareness towards reducing it in the state.”
An official of the state Ministry of Women Affairs, Helen Akomolafe commended the organization for its commitment to the eradication of the practice in the state, adding that the training would go a long way in helping the fight against FGM in communities.
The Executive Director of the New Generation Girls and Women Development Initiative (NIGAWD) Mrs Abimbola Aladejare-Salako exposed the participants to the existing laws against the practice of FGM and other gender-based violence.
She disclosed that Ekiti State had enacted an anti-FGM law in 2011, which was amended in 2019, saying that the statute stipulates a fine of N200,000 or one-year imprisonment for offenders including enablers.
Aladejare-Salako hinted that NIGAWD had embarked upon a far-reaching campaign against FGM across communities in Ekiti.
She however urged the participants to play active roles in ensuring the eradication of the menace in the society and save girl-child from the long-term adverse effects.
Some highlights of the programme were the ICT training by Experts, presentation of certificates to all the participants and mini laptop computers to three outstanding participants.
One of the participants, Damilola Fatogun said the training had given the needed information and exposure about FGM and how it can be eradicated.
She promised to deploy the knowledge acquired through the training to create and increase awareness amongst her peers.
She appreciated the organization for the training and promised to sensitize her colleagues and society on the dangers of FGM and the need to stop the practice in the state.
To Clarion Adekayero, the training was a blessing to her as many people did not know much about the harmful effects of FGM. She however also promised to prioritize the advocacy against FGM and its abandonment.