Members of the public have been urged to speak up against female genital mutilation as its effects have destroyed many marriages apart from the violence it causes.

These are some of the views of stakeholders who gathered at the Ekiti State University for a campaign against female genital mutilation. Adeola Aderibigbe sent in this report.

The robust advocacy against the practice of female genital mutilation by governments and non-governmental organisations is fast spreading across the South West Zone; as Ekiti joined in the campaign against the menace that is still being perpetrated in many parts of Africa. According to the UNFPA, Nigeria has one-quarter of circumcised women worldwide while Ekiti State has 71.2 per cent prevalence rate.

Cultural, religious and environmental factors which include superstitious beliefs, norms and efforts geared towards preventing unchecked sexual activities by the female folk among others have been found to be responsible for the continued practice of FGM by many educated and uneducated, rural and urban people of this part of the world.

According to the National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) findings in 2013, people still consider the FGM/C important for socialization of women, curbing their sexual appetites and preparing them for marriage.

A recent finding by UNICEF revealed that Women whose clitoris have been severed would have very slow pace of sexual arousal and hardly get satisfaction during sexual activity such that such women take to sleeping with as many men as possible in search of more sexual satisfaction.

The Stakeholders urged members of the public to be united and speak with collectively against FGM in order to reduce its prevalence in the society.