FGM Still Prevalent In Ghana

Reports indicate that the prevalence rate of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Ghana still hovers around 9-15 per cent. This is in spite of the legislation criminalising the practice and the numerous campaigns against it. FGM entails a partial or total removal of the clitoris from the female organ. Practitioners believe it reduces promiscuity in women. But the practice has serious health implications for victims. Speaking to Joy News, the Head of Women Department at the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs, Ms Francisca Pobih Hayford said implementing the laws against the practice was a huge challenge. She explained that practitioners were aware of the law and were therefore doing it discretely. According to her, some Ghanaians were also taking their children to neighbouring countries to be circumcised and that makes it difficult to arrest and prosecute them.