The campaign started on 6th February and ends on 10th February, 2018. The week-long exercise which is dubbed ‘Female Circumcision Week’ coincides with the World Health Organization (WHO) ‘Zero Tolerance against Female Genital Mutilation.
However, according to the National Soweis Council and Dr. Fuambai Sia Ahmadu they want the WHO and others to stop using the word “mutilation” as it is very insulting to women in general. “We totally reject and despise the terminology ‘mutilation’ to describe what we know to be female circumcision and an initiation into womanhood. The terminology is an insult to women because it is not ‘torture’ as the WHO is describing it,” she maintained.
She went further to state that as a woman’s group they are ready to even take legal action to have this ugly terminology dropped because according to her, Western women go to doctors for circumcision but the WHO does not call this torture.
She gave examples of prominent women that have gone through the Bondo Society, or did their circumcision medically without complications.
However, it is not clear what the government would say about this latest development taking into account the fact that several efforts, proposals and campaigns have been actively or tacitly supported by the government.