The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) has said that female circumcision was a crime, which attracted a four-year jail term.
The agency made this known in a post it shared on its official X handle (Formerly Twitter) @naptipnigeria on Sunday.
A member of the public on his X handle @realmuhammadd, asked if a newly born baby girl needed to be circumcised.
Another X user with the handle @AAAlhlaji21 responded by saying, that was important to perform circumcision on baby girls, to prevent them from being promiscuous when they grow up.
NAPTIP, however, debunked the myth in its reaction to the posts, warning against the practice.
“Dear Muhammad- Just so you know Female Circumcision (FC) is a crime under the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act, (VAPP) 2015 and under various states’ VAPP Laws.
“Anyone who performs FC is liable to up to four years imprisonment, an attempt attracts two years imprisonment,” it stated.
According to NAPTIP, anyone who incites, aids, or counsels another person to commit the offence of FC, is liable to up to two years imprisonment.
“We urge you to use this as a teaching moment to also educate others.
“Remember “Female Circumcision, Genital Mutilation” IS A CRIME, ” it stated.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Female genital mutilation (FGM) comprises all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.
“The practice has no health benefits for girls and women and cause severe bleeding and problems urinating, and later cysts, infections, as well as complications in childbirth and increased risk of newborn deaths.
“The practice of FGM is recognized internationally as a violation of the human rights of girls and women. It reflects deep-rooted inequality between the sexes and constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against girls and women. It is nearly always carried out by traditional practitioners on minors and is a violation of the rights of children.
“The practice also violates a person’s rights to health, security and physical integrity; the right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment; and the right to life, in instances when the procedure results in death. In several settings, there is evidence suggesting greater involvement of health care providers in performing FGM due to the belief that the procedure is safer when medicalized. WHO strongly urges health care providers not to perform FGM and has developed a global strategy and specific materials to support health care providers against medicalization.”
NAN
