Nigeria: Correction to NGA34047.E of 20 April 2000 on female genital mutilation (FGM) practices among the Osoko ethnic group
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 21 November 2001 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | NGA38211.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Nigeria: Correction to NGA34047.E of 20 April 2000 on female genital mutilation (FGM) practices among the Osoko ethnic group, 21 November 2001, NGA38211.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3df4be8310.html [accessed 30 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
This Response replaces NGA34047.E of 20 April 2000.
No reports specific to the Osoko ethnic group could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
A 1998 World Health Organization report on female genital mutilation, states that FGM is "widely practised in Nigeria and particularly among the three major tribe, the Hausa, Ibo and Yoruba" (WHO 1998). The overall prevalence of the practice was estimated to be approximately 40 per cent, and in large urban areas was "said to be declining" (ibid.). A national, but non-representative survey conducted in 1985 by the Nigerian Association of Nurses found that FGM was practised in 13 of 21 states. This figure was thought to under report the incidence of FGM given that major ethnic groups are known to engage in the practice (ibid.).
For example, Country Reports 1999 noted that estimates for the practice of FGM ranged from a high of 90 per cent to a low of 40 per cent, although the number of young girls subjected to FGM was declining (2000, 333).
The FGM network Website quoting 1982 information based on medical and ethnographic literature as well as personal testimony published in The Hosken's Report, states that in Nigeria FGM is practiced by:
Yoruba, Ibo, Hausa; Efik, Shuwa, and most population groups except Itsekiri; inhabitants of Cross River State. (Infibulation: Gishiri cuts Kano area) (n.d.)
According to the World Health Organization all types of FGM are to be found in Nigeria:
Type I Excision of the prepuce with or without excision of part or all of the clitoris.
Type II Excision of the prepuce and clitoris together with partial or total excision of the labia minora.
Type III Excision of part or all of the external genitalia and stitching/narrowing of the vaginal opening (infibulation).
Type IV Unclassified: includes pricking, piercing or incision of clitoris and/or labia; stretching of clitoris and/or labia; cauterization by burning of clitoris and surrounding tissues; scraping (angurya cuts) of the vaginal orifice or cutting (gishiri cuts) of the vagina; introduction of corrosive substances into the vagina to cause bleeding or herbs into the vagina with the aim of tightening or narrowing the vagina; any other procedure which falls under the definition of FGM given above (Aug. 1996).
Although the government is publicly opposed to FGM, it has not taken legal action to stop the practice (Country Reports 1999 2000, 333). The campaign against FGM which is supported by the Ministry of Health, is led by private groups. In 1997 the Minister of Health set up a 25-member committee to study the issue. However, by the end of 1999 the results had not been released by the committee (ibid.).
For additional information on FGM in Nigeria, please consult NGA32137.E. of 7 July 1999.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please see the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1999. 2000. United States Department of State. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office.
Female Genital Mutilation Network. N.d. "Female Genital Mutilation Around the World: Population Groups."
World Health Organization (WHO). 1998. "Female Genital Mutilation: An Overview."
_____. 1996. "Female Genital Mutilation: Information Pack."
Additional Sources Consulted
Africa Research Bulletin. 1998.
Amnesty International Report 1998 1999.
Country Reports for 1998 1999.
Encyclopedia of the Third World. 1992. 4th ed., Vol. 1. Edited by George Thomas Kurian. New York: Facts on File.
Ethnologue: Languages of the World. 1996. 13th ed. Edited by Barbra F. Grimes. Dallas: Summer Institute of Linguistics.
Keesing's Record of World Events. October 1998.
The New Encyclopaedia Britannica. 1989. Chicago, IL: Encyclopedia Britannica.
Resource Centre. Country File. Nigeria.
West Africa. October -December 1998.
