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By Paul Williams
Non-governmental organisation, Ese Usamali Foundation For Rural Development (EUFORDe), has joined the state Ministry of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation and the UNICEF-UNFPA joint program on ending Female Genital Mutilation.
The collaboration is aimed at amplifying efforts towards the elimination of FGM in communities in Rivers State.
The program sought to engage leaders of rural communities, create awareness-raising, and to strengthen community structures as well as educate and equip the girl-child in becoming Adolescents Champions against FGM.
Activities pivoted around the production of a short movie tagged the ‘Adolescents Against FGM,’ written by Mercy Elemchukwu-James, the Executive Director of the foundation, which had adolescents producing and playing lead characters as a way of educating the communities.
As part of recommendations towards putting an end to FGM, the foundation asked that laws prohibiting GBV should be strengthened, putting into consideration that FGM as a violation of the rights of women and the Girl-Child with severe physical and psychological consequences, is a crime which attracts strict penalties to perpetrators, community engagements with chiefs, community elders, women and youth leaders, and Community Development Committee (CDC) be implemented.
It also recommended that partnerships with local organizations, governments, and international agencies be fostered to amplify efforts while more advocacies via Social Media Content Creation, jingles and videos, drama presentation, be explored as tools for advocacy.
