Perpetrators of female circumcision risk jail in Osun

Residents of Osun State have been told to desist from indulging in female circumcision so as not to run afoul of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) law.  The VAPP law was passed by the Osun Assembly in August with the advocacy efforts of the wife of the governor, Kafayat Oyetola and other stakeholders.  The […]

Residents of Osun State have been told to desist from indulging in female circumcision so as not to run afoul of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) law. 

The VAPP law was passed by the Osun Assembly in August with the advocacy efforts of the wife of the governor, Kafayat Oyetola and other stakeholders. 

The law, which was signed by Governor Gboyega Oyetola in October, strengthened the punishment for the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) with a four-year jail term for violators.

Section 7 of the VAPP law stipulates that a person who performs FGM or engages another to carry out FGM commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a term of imprisonment not exceeding four years or to a fine not exceeding N200,000 or both. 

Mrs. Kafayat Oyetola, while speaking during a strategic meeting on strengthening the implementation of the VAPP law in Osogbo, the state capital, said the law was meant to stop any form of violence against women and girls in the state.

Oyetola said female genital mutilation is a harmful traditional practice and that the law was put in place to ensure that women and girls live healthy and complete lives.

A UNFPA Gender/FGM Analyst, Uzoma Ayodeji, noted that the FGM prevalence rate in the state has reduced to 45.9% and advocated for more efforts to ensure total elimination of the practice. 

A prominent traditional ruler in the state, the Olowu of Kuta Kingdom, Oba Hammed Adekunle Makama Oyelude Tegbosun III, said the traditional institution would support the implementation of the law.