By Ruth Konchellah | Director
The community elders are recognized as leaders in their own homesteads and are responsible for their family and property. Elders offer advice, sit and participate in the village disciplinary meetings and make decisions that affect the society. There are also opinion leaders who excel in other disciplines such as religion, health, education, business and social work. Cherish Others conducted a Seminar on FGM which targeted thirty elders.
The participants said that FGM was being performed in secret since he perpetrators did not want to be confronted by the Anti-FGM Activists and the local leaders. They complained that the medical Officers were also main actors in perpetuating FGM practice because, they performed the operation for a fee despite the fact that FGM was illegal. Also, they condemned the other unwanted cultural practices such as early marriages, wife inheritance and the payment of dowry, which was still widely practiced.
The topics discussed were as follows:
CONCLUSION
The elders declared that they would make sure no girl, within their reach, would be subjected to FGM. Further, the elders drew out a work plan of how they would partner with Cherish Others to combat FGM, amongst the planned activities were to identify girls who were at risk and release them to the organisation to participate in the anti FGM seminar.
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