The Rivers State Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), has initiated a movement to eradicate Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) across the state and country. As part of this effort, a three-day training session was organized for 60 Community Facilitators (CFs) from 30 communities across six local government areas. These facilitators will further train Adolescent-Gender Champions (ADCs) in their respective communities to ensure a comprehensive approach to eliminating the harmful practice.
The training session, which took place in Port Harcourt, aimed to equip the community facilitators with the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively engage their communities in the movement to end FGM. Dr. Victor Atuchukwu, Child Protection Specialist at UNICEF's Enugu Field Office, emphasized the importance of community involvement in the elimination of FGM. He noted that the training was a crucial step in driving the message of the movement and that the facilitators would serve as a workforce on the ground to mobilize their communities.
The partnership between the Rivers State Ministry of Health and UNICEF targets over 90,000 women, girls, boys, and men in each of the local government areas of the state. The goal is to accelerate the elimination of FGM through community outreach and advocacy campaigns. According to Dr. Atuchukwu, there has been a recorded change in attitude and behavior among women and girls in communities where the movement has been implemented, with many abandoning the negative components of the practice.
The training session covered various topics, including community facilitation skills, volunteering, peer education, adolescent reproductive health, and understanding gender concepts. Resource persons, including Peace Dike, Executive Director of Virgin Heart Foundation, and Ugwochi Agala, Assistant Chief Registrar of the Family Court in Rivers State, led the training sessions. They emphasized the need for community facilitators to be culturally sensitive and to possess qualities such as motivators, active listeners, and good communicators.
The movement to end FGM in Rivers State is part of a larger national effort to eliminate the practice. According to Peace Dike, achieving a zero-FGM practice in the state and country requires a deliberate and sustained training and retraining of community facilitators, Adolescent-Gender Champions, and peers. Ugwochi Agala noted that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) has taken root in African society, with women often being perpetrators of FGM.
The training session also highlighted the importance of community engagement and feedback mechanisms. Dr. Atuchukwu mentioned that a follow-up mechanism, including a WhatsApp group, would be set up to monitor progress and receive feedback from communities. UNICEF and the joint program will also engage with communities in person to ensure the movement's success.
The partnership between the Rivers State Ministry of Health and UNICEF has made significant progress in the fight against FGM. With the training of 60 community facilitators and the planned engagement of Adolescent-Gender Champions, the movement is expected to gain momentum in the state. The goal is to make Rivers State free from the risk of FGM and related practices.
Key points
- The Rivers State Ministry of Health and UNICEF have trained 60 community facilitators to lead the movement to end Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in the state.
- The partnership aims to reach over 90,000 women, girls, boys, and men in each of the local government areas of the state to accelerate the elimination of FGM.
- The movement involves community outreach and advocacy campaigns, with a focus on changing attitudes and behaviors towards FGM.
