Using Soccer to help change norms around Female Genital Mutilation / Cutting (FGM/C)

Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting is a practice, which is deeply rooted in not just patriarchy and traditions here in Nigeria, but in also various misconceptions. One of such misconceptions here in Nigeria is that FGM/C curbs the girl child promiscuity. According to 28TOOMANY (UK), 20 million women and girls currently have been either mutilated/cut here in Nigeria. It is also projected that if nothing is done that by 2030, an additionally 20 million women and girls will undergo FGM/C in Nigeria. FGM/C is a social norm in Nigeria in the sense that many families engage in it simply because others are doing it. It is a practice, which communities have come to accept as their culture and as their way of life.

Late last year in Nigeria, Society for the Improvement of Rural People (SIRP) an organization committed to ending FGM/C here in Nigeria carried out a project called “Kick out FGM/C”. This project was aimed at using soccer as a tool to change norms around FGM/C in Nigeria. This project was implemented in Akwuke community of Enugu State, Nigeria. Before SIRP embarked on this project, they noticed that first and foremost most interventions around FGM/C in Nigeria has always involved the older generation more than the younger generation. Also, that most interventions have always involved the use of various traditional methods i.e. training workshops, dialogue sessions, sensitization programs etc. Little or nothing was done with regards to using various youth friendly approaches like soccer to ending FGM/C here in Nigeria. SIRP therefore decided to implement this foregoing project for one major reason and that is:

·         To increase the involvement of youth in ending FGM/C in Nigeria:

Since the world has a target to end FGM/C by 2030, there is greater need to more than ever involve more youth in this our shared vision. This is because youth are the ones to end FGM/C by 2030. Sadly enough, most interventions around FGM/C have always been boring, uninteresting and repetitive for most youth in Nigeria. Hence their reluctance to engage in various end FGM/C campaigns here in Nigeria.

To further buttress this point, SIRP conducted a research in Akwuke. The purpose of this study was to determine the level of awareness and involvement amongst youth in Akwuke to issues relating to FGM/C. In this particular study, SIRP adopted a descriptive research design. Specifically 2 research questions were posed to guide the study. A multi-staged sampling procedure using simple random sampling technique of balloting without replacement was used. We selected a sample of 210 youth accessing the only market in the community.

The instrument for data collection was our self-developed questionnaires. The data collected were analyzed using figures and percentages to answer the research questions. Below are some of the questions we asked them and some of the answers we got from them;

·         Question 1: Have you ever heard of FGM/C?

Yes	%	No	%
10	4.76	200	95.2

·         After we explained the meaning of FGM/C to them we then asked them;

·         Question 2: Would you love to see FGM/C ended in your community?

Yes	%	No	%
190	90.47	20	9.52

·         From the foregoing, one can see that only 10 youth out of the 210 youth, we gave out these questionnaires to have heard about FGM/C. Also 190 youth out of the 210 youth, we gave out these questionnaires wanted FGM/C to be ended in their community.

After the foregoing research, SIRP decided to adopt a youth friendly approach that will be both engaging and interesting for these youth and that approach was soccer. SIRP organized a 5 a- side soccer tournament for 6 youth teams from the community. At the end of the tournament, the youth team from Atako community of Akwuke won the tournament and therefore became our end FGM/C champions at the community.

At the end of the tournament, the following results were achieved:

·         There was an increase in the level of awareness amongst youth from the baseline of 15% to 45% at the end of the project.

·         There was an increase in the rate of involvement amongst youth in end FGM/C issues at the community from the baseline of 10% to 50%.

·         A reduction in the FGM/C rate at the community from the baseline of 65% to 45% at the end of the project.

The foregoing figures were derived from the series of interview sessions; we had with various youth from the community at the end of the project. One major lesson learnt from this project was that there is a huge number of youth who genuinely want to be involved in this ongoing activism to end FGM/C by 2030, but are not currently doing so much in this regard. This is largely due to the fact that most NGOs, anti-FGM activists, the Government in Nigeria etc has either failed to see youth as key allies in this our shared vision to end FGM/C by 2030. We therefore call for the use of various youth friendly approaches, which will be both engaging and interesting for youth in ensuring the involvement of youth in various end FGM/C activities.