The National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) shared on its official X handle @naptipnigeria on Sunday 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.
According to NAPTIP, Female Circumcision (FC) is a crime under the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act, (VAPP) 2015 and various states’ VAPP Laws.
It says anyone who incites, aids, or counsels another person to commit the offence of FC, is liable to up to two years imprisonment.
“Anyone who performs FC is liable to up to four years imprisonment, an attempt attracts two years imprisonment,” it stated.
“We urge you to use this as a teaching moment and also to educate others.
“Remember “Female Circumcision, Genital Mutilation” IS A CRIME, ” it stated.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says 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.
WHO said: “The practice has no health benefits for girls and women and causes 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. Traditional practitioners nearly always carry it out 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 healthcare 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.”
