A law against female genital mutilation is progressing at the House of Representatives, after passed second reading Tuesday. The bill is seeking amendment to the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act, 2015, and raise the penalty for female circumcision or genital mutilation, with a proposed Four or five years jail sentence with the option fine from N20,000 to N1m. According to sponsor of the bill Ganiyu Johnson from Lagos State said: “The decision to propose this bill is informed by the need to increase the penalty for the offence of female genital mutilation within the Act. “A UNICEF survey recently revealed that in Nigeria, one out of four girls and one out of ten boys suffers from sexual molestation and about one out of ten children will be sexually abused before their 18th birthday. Among factors that encourage the commission of such unwholesome practices, like female genital mutilation, is lack of adequate sanctions. “Female genital mutilation, also known as female circumcision, excision or genital cutting, comprises all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injuries to the genital organs for non-medical reasons, mostly carried out between infancy and age 15. “The procedure has no health benefits for girls and women. Because it is usually performed without permission and often against will, it violates girls’ right to make important decisions about their sexual and reproductive health.”
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