Bisi Fayemi, the First Lady of Ekiti State, has stated that the government won’t hesitate to arrest unrepentant female genital mutilators in the state. She revealed that the act which they perpetrate has caused crisis in homes with women at risk of infectious diseases.
Fayemi also used the opportunity to reveal the government’s commitment to the ‘operation keep girls in school’ policy which works against the expelling of girls who got pregnant while in school.
Mrs Fayemi said: “We must at all costs stop the menaces of female genital mutilation, open defecation, domestic violence against women, child trafficking and rape, defilement and another ill against girl child and women.
“The state Gender-Based Violence(GVB) and Child right laws have been amended. Punishment for rape is no longer 5 -year jail term but life imprisonment. Whoever makes attempt to beg for the release of a rapist stands being charged for obstruction of justice.
“It is not right for teenagers to engage in sexual relationships. That is why parents must monitor their female children in school. But any school girl that got impregnated, with new law will be allowed to continue her study even with the pregnancy and after delivery, she will still be allowed to continue schooling. Our girls must go to school”.
She also revealed that the GVB law also serves punishment for women caught maltreating or battering their husbands.
“Women should also desist from delivering babies at home or missions, always go to hospitals. You can observe that women are dying of breast cancer. Let us observe ourselves very well, even our husbands have a lot of roles to play in this, they can help us massage the breast and detect the lumps. It had happened like this in the past when men turned out to be our Messiahs”, Mrs Fayemi stated.