Monday, 16th March, 2026
Hon Emelia Ankomah
Upper Denkyira East
Mr Speaker, I rise to mark the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, observed on 6th February in accordance with United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/RES/67/146.
Mr Speaker, this day compels us not only to remember, but to reflect honestly on whether our actions as a nation match our declarations. Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a harmful practice involving the partial or total removal of female genitalia for non-medical reasons. It has no health benefit, no scientific basis, and no moral justification. It is a clear violation of the fundamental human rights of women and girls.
Mr Speaker, the consequences are devastating and lifelong: severe bleeding, infections, childbirth complications, psychological trauma, and in some cases, death. Yet beyond these physical harms lies an even deeper injustice: the denial of dignity, bodily autonomy, and choice to the girl child.
Mr Speaker, Ghana has taken a strong legal position. The Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), as amended, criminalises FGM and prescribes sanctions for perpetrators and accomplices.
However, Mr Speaker, laws alone do not change behaviour. If they did, this practice would no longer exist within our borders. The persistence of FGM in some communities raises uncomfortable but necessary questions about enforcement, accountability, and our collective resolve.
Mr Speaker, are we doing enough to protect the most vulnerable girls in remote and marginalised communities? Are institutions mandated to enforce the law sufficiently resourced? Are we, as leaders, bold enough to confront harmful practices even when they are shielded by silence and social pressure?
Mr Speaker, I wish to state unequivocally that there is no cultural, traditional, or religious justification for Female Genital Mutilation. Culture is not static. Any practice that endangers life and dehumanises women must be confronted and abandoned. Traditional and religious leaders therefore have a critical role to play in reshaping attitudes and safeguarding the next generation.
Mr Speaker, survivors of FGM must also be placed at the centre of our national response. They require access to healthcare, psychosocial support, legal protection, and economic empowerment. Their lived experiences should inform our policies, not remain hidden in shame and fear.
Mr Speaker, as parliamentarians, this day challenges us to go beyond symbolic condemnation. It calls on us to strengthen oversight, support targeted education, empower communities, and demand effective enforcement of the law. Zero tolerance must be reflected not only in our words, but in measurable action.
Mr Speaker, as we observe this day in 2026, let us recommit ourselves to building a Ghana where no girl is subjected to harmful practices, where her rights are protected, and where her future is determined by choice and not by violence disguised as tradition.
Mr Speaker, I urge this honourable House to reaffirm its zero-tolerance stance on Female Genital Mutilation and to contribute actively to the national effort to eradicate it completely. Mr Speaker, I so submit.
Hon Jerry Ahmed Shaib
Weija-Gbawe
Mr Speaker, as I started saying, it is not a cultural practice. It is a human right violation. Mr Speaker, over 230 million young beautiful women will have to go through this very painful process. Mr Speaker, sometimes we give all manner of excuses for these young women to go through this process.
First of all, when we look at the 2026 theme, "Towards 2030: No End to FGM Without Sustained Commitment and Investment", it is a direct indictment of governments, that most governments have made so much noise about FGM, but the ability to sponsor to ensure that it is eradicated is missing. We make a lot of noise, have a lot of talk shows and have a lot of seminars on FGM, but just to have some sort of budget to prosecute issues on FGM is dead on arrival ab initio.
Mr Speaker, the consequences of FGM abound, including Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), and haemorrhage. There are cumulative and lifelong challenges when people go through FGM. Some of them even go through the risk of childbirth complications. Yet, in modern times, we are still encouraging FGM. Some even have to endure infertility just because of FGM. So, the call now is that let us try and sponsor the prosecution of FGM so that it is eradicated. As I said, it is not a matter of culture; it is a matter of breach of human rights.
We have a lot of people going through this. The scale of this crisis demands that it has become a public health matter. When ladies are giving birth, and the next thing is that— Mr Speaker, there is also a scientific understanding that just because of this FGM, some women have issues of low libido. At least I have had engagement with some women. They will tell us, and we can ask and ask again. They will let us understand that the issues of libido is restrained because they have had FGM.
Mr Speaker, I am speaking because I have read on it. When one has friends who can educate on same, one should be very well abreast of the facts. We are not making progress fast enough. We must say so plainly that it is sometimes even seen as political. There is no political wherewithal or capacity to have these things dealt with, because there is a Member of Parliament or there is a President who finds it difficult to deal with the matter because of votes to the detriment of these young lives that we are talking about.
Mr Speaker, let me just reenumerate the situations they would have to find themselves in. Infertility is one. Not having libido is another. STDs is another. If we do not put a stop to this, then we do not know what is going to happen in the next—
Hon James Agalga
Builsa North
Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity.
A while ago, I was asking my Colleague who is a medical doctor whether it is indeed true that FGM is one of the causes of the low libido in women. I did not get a response, but Hon Ahmed has clarified the matter. But, on a more serious note, to say FGM is not a cultural practice, but a human rights violation simplicita, in my view, may not be very accurate. The reason is that until a law was passed in this country to outlaw FGM, it was prevalent in some communities in this country.
In fact, the prevalence rate was so high to the extent that in some communities and cultures, women voluntarily lined up to undergo FGM in order to avoid stigma. So, it was a cultural practice, which has now been outlawed. The fact that that cultural practice has now been outlawed elevates the practice to the level of the violation of the fundamental human rights of the victims of FGM.
Mr Speaker, I say so because if we fail to admit that FGM was a cultural practice amongst some communities in our country, we would have issues with sensitisation. Insofar as people would line up voluntarily to undergo FGM, they are matters we need to contend with. If we do not engage in sensitisation, we may have issues enforcing the very law Parliament passed to outlaw the practice.
So, Mr Speaker, in adding my voice and thanking the maker of the Statement, I would implore this House to take measures to ensure that the agencies of State such as the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), which are charged with the responsibility of sensitising the public on the dos and don’ts of certain civic responsibilities, take up the challenge seriously.
This is so that communities in which the practice was prevalent, would begin to sensitise would-be victims of FGM, that there is nothing like stigma if one does not mutilate one’s genitals. There is no stigmatisation at all.
Hon Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings
Korle Klottey
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to comment on the Statement ably made by the Hon Member.
Mr Speaker, the issue of Female Genital Mutilation is not just one that occurs in Ghana. It occurs across the continent of Africa and some parts of the Far East as well, in Asia. So, this is actually a global issue. Yes, indeed, it is a violation of the rights of women. Some of the conditions that occur – in my personal experience in hospital, I remember witnessing the difficulty that some women went through during childbirth, where what should have been a straightforward vaginal childbirth became very complicated, requiring forceps, episiotomy, and in some cases, an emergency caesarean section because of scarring and the inability of the tissues to expand, to accommodate the emergent head of the baby.
Mr Speaker, some of the other conditions that occur include fistula, where one has a connection forming between the vagina and other parts of the body, whether within the bladder or into the rectum as well. These cause a lot of infections amongst those who have had these procedures done.
So, Mr Speaker, there are real health concerns around this issue beyond the issues of sexual pleasure that obviously are limited by this practice. I think that the maker of this Statement having mentioned that today is about an international recognition of this condition, the issue of stakeholder engagement is key, the enforcement of law and political will is key. It could not have happened in Ghana without political will.
I believe that, that is perhaps what the Second Deputy Minority Whip was making reference to when it comes to the issue of the push that is required. If the laws are in place, if we engage stakeholders but we cannot get that level of political will to actually push for this to happen and for these practices to be outlawed, we will have generations of young women who are presenting with various complications during pregnancy and afterwards, increased risk of sexually transmitted diseases and a lot of other associated issues.
Mr Speaker, the sooner we address these issues — because if in 2026, we are still speaking to these issues, then I think the issue of women’s rights as fundamental human rights really needs to be considered as a matter of urgency. I urge this House to perhaps take advantage of this to improve their knowledge and be advocates wherever they find themselves to ensure that this harmful practice is abolished, not just here, not just across the continent, but across the world. Thank you, Mr Speaker.
Hon Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah
Manhyia South
Mr Speaker, I thank you very much for the opportunity. Whenever FGM is mentioned, the 31st December Women’s Movement comes to mind. This is because they did a lot of activisms in the past to ensure that this whole practice is outlawed.
Mr Speaker, I also remember very well that it was part of the reasons when President Kufuor was inaugurated as President of this country, he established the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs. But it looks like the Ministry has now become more interested in school feeding and the business side of it, rather than fighting for the real interests of children and women in our society.
Mr Speaker, from the perspective of my available Leader, the Chief Whip and Hon Zanetor, it is obvious that what is lacking is the political will. But it is not just the political will; it is also about the person who would ensure that the interests of the women and children are protected, which, in this case, is the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection.
Mr Speaker, it may be necessary in the circumstances to refocus the Ministry on the real affairs of children and women. When I say this, I am not limiting it to this particular administration. But every now and then, we see children loitering from different African countries on our streets.
Mr Speaker, it appears that we have been let down in that area, so it is about time the Ministry is seen to be up and doing to ensure that this practice completely becomes a thing of the past. Thank you very much.
AskParly