One hundred and fifteen community activists have been trained and empowered in Imo State to deepen the campaign to end Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in the grassroots.

Imo State is one of the six states where the practice of cutting parts of female genital organs for non-medical reasons is still very high.

An estimated 20 million women and girls in Nigeria have gone through FGM, representing the highest number in the world.

In May 2015, Goodluck Jonathan, former President, signed a law that banned FGM, but it is still being practised in certain parts of the country.

According to a statement by Joseph Osuigwe, Executive Director of Devatop Centre for Africa Development, which organised the training, health workers, teachers, youth leaders, community leaders, National Youth Corps members and religious leaders from six local government areas in Okigwe Zone of the state were trained to take the campaign to rural communities where the practice is still prevalent.

The trainees, Osuigwe said, will be at the forefront of ending FGM in more than 60 communities in the state.

“The trained advocates were given small/sub-grant and awareness materials to  carry out community projects  such as workshop/seminar, market awareness, talk show, community outreach, One-on-One sensitization, town hall meetings, market awareness, and school outreaches,” he said.

He described FGM as human rights abuse, adding that each of the advocate is expected to sensitise 100 community members on the dangers of the practice, before September 2017.

Devatop Centre for Africa Development is youth-driven human rights, non-profit organization that has carried out projects on ending FGM in more than seven area councils in Federal Capital Territory and Imo State.

The two-day training and empowerment in was supported by the Girl Generation.