 Well, back with the breakfast and plus TV Africa, Dr. Kostli Adir Miimi will be joining us this morning. Female genital mutilation survivor and advocate as well. She's of the Association of Public Health, Physician of Nigeria. Well, according to the United Nations, more than 200 million women and girls alive today have gone through female genital mutilation, which is the FGM Procedure. It was also reported that in 2023, about 4.2 million girls had reeks have been subjected to FGM. Meanwhile, the United Nations Population Fund estimates shows that the disruption of school attendance is linked to the coronavirus, which could cause 2 million or more cases of FGM to happen over the next decade unless serious actions are taken. Nigeria has the third largest number of women and girls globally who have been caught. And according to the United Nations Children's Fund in 2012, the United Nations General Assembly named 6 of February the International Day of Zerotolerance of FGM, aiming to enlighten the world of brutal practice and gain to support and eliminate it. Well, the theme for this year is that partnership with men and boys to transform social and gender norms to NFGM. It was also launched by the UNICEF, of course, on the UNFPA. It's a joint program for elimination of female genital mutilation. It's a global action course right here. Dr. Kostli, it's good to have you join us once again. Good morning. Good morning. Thank you very much for having me on the morning show. All right, so let's talk about it. I mean, just before we get delving to what the 6th of February stands for, what exactly is a female genital mutilation? Thank you very much. Female genital mutilation is the cutting of female esthanal reproductive organ for non-medical reason. I'm not going to go into the World Health Organization definition. I'm just going to say it the way we can understand. Female genital mutilation is also known in communities as cutting. People, the masses are able to relate to it, cutting because there are most times they compare it with male circumcision, male cutting. But the truth is that female genital mutilation and male circumcision at different things entirely. They do not relate in any way. And that is why we prefer to use the word mutilation for female cutting because it is actually mutilation. It has no medical benefit. It has no health reason. It is an extreme form of violence against women and girls. So usually what is done in female genital mutilation is that some parts or the whole of female esthanal reproductive organ is cut away. Usually in Nigeria, the most targeted organ in the female reproductive, esthanal reproductive system is the clitoris. So they either cut part of the clitoris or cut the whole of the clitoris. Usually, again, some go to the extent of cutting the other organs that are also in the esthanal reproductive system, like the labia majora, the labia minora. These medical words, but I'm just talking about the organs that you can see in the female esthanal reproductive organ. Usually when people cut, they do not only stop at cutting, they also go ahead to even stitch the esthanal female reproductive system together and just leave a little hole for urine and menstrual fluid. This is very, very harmful. This is an extreme form of torture and violence. In this part of the world, in most states in Nigeria, where FGM is being practiced, girls are being caught as early as eight days. Some are caught as late as 13 years, 16 years, and some before, just before they get married. There's also one form of female genital mutilation that I am. Dr. Costley. Okay. So there's also one from female genital mutilation that I must mention, because that is one of the current trends that we are beginning to see is the type four female genital mutilation. All other things that I've said before can be either grouped as type one, type two, or type three. Type three is the effibulation where they stitch the female esthanal reproductive system together and just leave a small hole for urine and menstrual fluid. Now to type four. Type four is piercing. They do all sorts of things to female esthanal reproductive system, like piercing, inciting objects, labia strengthening, doing all sorts of anything that you do to the female esthanal reproductive system that is not for medical reason can be categorized as type four. In outside, this type of cutting, gissiric cutting is usually done for women just before they give birth. Also, some people insert corrosive objects into the female esthanal reproductive system into the vagina, just in the name of beauty and some other reasons, tradition and all of that. All of this damage to the female esthanal reproductive system is categorized under female genital mutilation and it affects the woman. It poses potential risk to both immediate risk and long-term risk to the woman. And that is why we are leveraging on the 6th of February, which is recognized as the International Day for Zero Tolerance Against FGM, where leveraging is opportunity to reach out to people to let them know that you don't have to touch the female esthanal reproductive system. It is already created completely. It is completely created by God and every part of it has a specific purpose. You don't have to stretch the labia. It doesn't add to beauty. You don't have to cut the clitoris. It has a specific reason why it is created and has specific functions that are itself. That is what we are leveraging on. That is why we are reaching out to everyone to let them know that we, at the same time, we abandon this harmful practice that continues to pose these complications to women and girls. Very worrying details there. You are an FGM survivor. What effect does it have on any individual who goes through it? And why do we see in Africa, in Nigeria, this practice of female circumcision? Let me quickly say that Nigeria accounts for one-tenth of the total number of female genital mutilation survivors alive today. It has been estimated that there are 200 million survivors of female genital mutilation alive today. Nigeria has one-tenth of that figure. That is about 19.9 million women and girls that have undergone female genital mutilation. They live in Nigeria. That is a very, very huge number, the largest absolute number in the world. That being said, female genital mutilation complication can be categorized as both short-term, long-term complications. Short-term means immediate complications, the complications that you see immediately. And long-term complications simply means that the complication that you get to see later in life. Also, female genital mutilation has a lot of psychological consequences. It has a lot of obstructive consequences, which is very, very dangerous and frightening. When you talk about the immediate complication, I usually describe the task when you look at the way the procedure is being performed. Usually, the way the procedure is being performed is that a small child, a girl or an adolescent girl, is usually two people that performs FGM are traditional cutters, traditional birth attenders. I'm still going to talk about the fact that some health workers are also performing FGM, but in most part of the state where it's been practiced, the traditional cutters, it's usually a very awkward thing. These people have little or no knowledge of the female external reproductive organ. And so the pain, you know, the girl child down, the baby that is about to be mutilated, they pain the child down, and then they also get another person to either sit on the child's chest, because the procedure is extremely, extremely painful. And so even a child will try to rescue herself, not to talk of an adult girl. So they pain the child down, and then the cutter now goes with different sort of instruments to cut the part of the female external genitalia that is about to be taken off. Usually they use all sort of instruments, some use razor blade, some use, you know, something that looks like a small axe, some use, some use their fingers, some use their fingers to just uproot that of a baby, to just uproot the clitoris. Some use something that looks like a broken glass, some use thorns. They use all sort of instruments that Doctor, because of time, let's let's look at the message you have for the people out there, the parents out there, your guidance out there, people who are leaders in a traditional society regarding this. Okay, thank you very much. Like I said, female genital mutilation has no health benefit. It has no no benefit to the girl child. It poses risk to the future, to the immediate, it poses immediate risk and long term risk to the girl child. Girls can bleed to death in the process of cutting. Girls can get infected when using one instrument from one girl, transferring infection from one child to another child. A lot of girls have suffered urinary retention, sexual dysfunction is also one of the major reasons why, you know, why, why one of major complications that women are going through. And that has destroyed a lot of homes, we receive calls, we run UNFPA Supporters 24 seven rescue line, men call every time, you know, to, to ask for their wife. And so my message to everyone at home is that when you look at the complications of FGM, it is not what the life of any girl a lot of girls have died through the process of female genital mutilation. A lot of girls have died through the Yes, I'm really sorry, less in less than, you know, a minute. Can you just react to this? The theme for this year is a collaborative effort, partnering with boys, men, you know, policymakers, the community to eliminate this practice. What exactly can be done? I'd like you to share your thoughts briefly. Men and boys are custodians of culture, they're traditional leaders, they're political leaders. And it's I find we recognize that if we must end female genital mutilation, we need the collaboration of this group of people to bring an end to this practice. They are decision makers. One of the recent FGM case in Nigeria, it was the man that gave the consent for the child to be mutilated. Men must be aware they must be sensitized. And know that FGM is not just a woman issue. It's also a men's issue as well. Men must rise up and speak out against female genital mutilation, use the position of power to speak and protect the right of women and girls. Because like I said, a lot of men also suffer in silence because of female genital mutilation. And we must come together to end this practice once and for all. Well, I think we have to let it go at this point in time. Thank you so much, Dr. Kosley, Derigme. Thank you once again for having me. Alright then. Quite chilling revelations by a guest and the dangers of this act called female circumcision or female genital mutilation. Very worrying. The message is passing on is we need to desist and stop this immediately. That's the size of our package. Don't forget to come forward on our social media platforms right here on Plus TV Africa. We're on YouTube at Plus TV Africa and Plus TV Africa Lifestyle on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at Plus TV Africa. 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