Country Representative, African Women Lawyers Association (AWLA) Nigeria chapter, Falilat Oluwatoyin Orire, has decried the continued violation of the human rights of girls and boys through genital mutilation in the society.
Orire who is also Deputy Chief Registrar, Federal Court of Appeal, Ilorin division stated that, such attitude among the parents and guardians was against the two religion of Islam and Christianity.
Speaking in Ilorin on Monday on the sidelines of the enlightenment programme organised by the Kwara State Ministry of Women Affairs on genital mutilation and award of excellence for the association, Orire however said that the association had set to assist anyone in the society that faced this kind of attitude in the court of law free of charge.
She said that her association had embarked on series of advocacy and educative programmes across parts of the country on the need for the parents and guardians to stop such attitude among the girls and boys in the society.
According to her, “Our association have done a lot to create awareness on the need for the people to stop gender violence, especially this female genital mutilation of a thing that I just attended, rights of women and children, the one that deals with the right of women in the society, beating of wives by their husbands among others”.
She said, “the association is on ground if anyone has cases with such issue, you can meet the association and the association will take it up in the court of law with free bonus cases for our citizens and that is part of what we will do for the people in the society by representing female or male that has no money to pursue their cases in the court of law and by getting a lawyer to stand for them at no cost whatsoever”.
Orire added, “I want to advise that parents and guardians should take care of their female children in the sense that what can become of this genital mutilation is very dangerous because it can lead to a lot of things on women because when they get married it will really affect them.
“They should stop this kind of genital mutilation and those that are practising it should stop it because when they want to give birth, it affects most of the women that have done it.
While appealing to Nigerians to be good ambassadors of the country, Orire stated that, they should shun all forms of maltreatment of young girls and boys in the country and the people should love one another so as to promote peace and development of the country.
Also in her remarks, the Kwara State Coordinator of African Women Lawyers Association, Mrs. Rukayyah Olaide AbdulAzeez, said the association was out to promote gender equality and justice, advocate for equal rights and opportunities and to have access to legal representation for women and children in the society.
She therefore said that the association would continue to protect the rights of women and children especially in the area of genital mutilation in order to make life worth living for them without any hindrance.
Mrs. AbdulAzees however urged parents and guardians to be alive to their responsibilities to their young girls and boys so as to advance the socio-economic development of the nation.
