FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION: A SOCIO-CULTURAL MYTH ON THE RIGHTS OF NIGERIAN WOMEN

Abstract

Right from the creation of man, human rights have been accorded to all human beings, both male and female. This notwithstanding, the protection and enforcement of women’s human rights have not been hitch free as a result of the mythological conceptualization of women as being inferior to men under the Christian and Islamic religions on the one hand, and the regarding of women as chattels capable of being owned by men under the customary laws of both African and Nigerian societies. This high level of inequality between both sexes has resulted into the denial of some basic human rights of Nigerian women and the subjection of women to some obnoxious and discriminatory practices such as female genital mutilations.1 This work critically examined the practice of FGM in Nigeria and found out that the reason behind this practice is based on socio-cultural myths. Recommendations were on the ways towards eliminating the pandemic called FGM.