FGM campaign Aftermath: Anambra mothers switch to numbing sexual organs

Mothers in Anambra State have devised a way of "curbing promiscuity" in the girl-child by using hot water, herbs, or powder to numb the clitoris. This is in response to anti-female genital mutilation, or FGM, campaigns by activists and international organizations.

The disclosure was made by Nkeiruka Okoye, the director of the Sexual and Gender-based Violence Unit in the Anambra State Ministry of Children and Women Affairs.

In an attempt to curb promiscuity, she accused many moms of ignorantly damaging the sexual organs of their female children.

In an interview with Vanguard in Awka, Okoye stated that many mothers have come up with the concept of making the clitoris inactive and insensitive due to the fight against female genital mutilation, she said this could cause issues for them when they get married.

"They don't use knife and thread to cut and sow again because of the campaign against female genital mutilation led by the United Nations Children's Fund. The sensitive areas of the clitoris are instead made insensitive by pressure. They utilize hot water, fragrance leaves or dusting powder.

"Some mothers do it ignorantly, and occasionally they believe they are molding the clitoris without realizing they are numbing it.

"This activity tampers with these females' sexual desire as they mature because they would lose interest in conjugal relationships with their husbands, causing problems in their marriages," the author claims.

The issue of disinheritance against women and girls in Anambra State was also discussed by Okoye. She called it a pathetic situation in which the girl child faces prejudice from even her male siblings simply because she is a girl.

According to her, because the girl will marry, men in this region of the world believe she belongs to another family.

She argues that many men frequently forget that their daughters, whom they disinherit, are often the ones who take care of them as they get older.

Although such discrimination was outlawed by law, she said that due to the delicate nature of the issue, its enforcement should be done with caution.

"What is needed is the establishment of awareness and starting a public enlightenment campaign to help people understand the detrimental impacts of the practice," she continued.

She said that despite the fact that the Child Rights Law of Anambra State, in addition to the country's constitution, grants equal rights to both male and female children on the subject of inheritance, the government often opts to employ it as a last resort.