1. Good evening and welcome to today’s tweet conference, I am Ola Moses Morakinyo @honolamoses1 and I’ll be joined by Olabintan Odunola @the_odunola and Oladele Elijah @oladeleesan #endcuttinggirls 
2. We shall be addressing the topic; empowering boys/men to address the gender issues FGM #endcuttinggirls
3. This session will run for the next 90 minutes (5:00pm to 6:30pm) after which, we’ll be taking your questions. #endcuttinggirls
4. For the sake of those joining us for the first time, we shall have a brief introduction on what FGM is. #endcuttinggirls
5. FGM stands for Female Genital Mutilation and is defined as all practices that involve the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. #endcuttinggirls
6a. There are four types of FGM, as classified by World Health Organisation (WHO) and they are: #endcuttinggirls @WHO
6b. Type 1 (Clitoridectomy) involves the Partial or total removal of the clitoris (clitoridectomy) #endcuttinggirls
6c. Type 2 (Excision) Partial or total removal of the clitoris and the labia minora, with or without excision of the labiamajora #endcuttinggirls
6d. Type 3 (Infibulation) Narrowing of the vaginal orifice with the creation of a covering seal by cutting and appositioningthe labia minora and/or the labia majora, with or without excision of the clitoris #endcuttinggirls
6(e) Type 4 (unclassified) refers to
All other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes, for example: pricking, pulling, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterization #endcuttinggirls
All other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes, for example: pricking, pulling, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterization #endcuttinggirls
7a. FGM is recognized internationally as a violation of the human rights of girls and women #endcuttinggirls
7b. FGM is deeply rooted in culture, has no health benefits, violates the human rights of women and girls #endcuttinggirls
8.FGM is nearly always carried out on minors and is a violation of the rights of girls and women #endcuttinggirls
9. FGM practice violates women and girls' rights to health, security and physical integrity #endcuttinggirls
10. FGM practice violates women and girls' rights to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment #endcuttinggirls
11. FGM practice violates women and girls' rights to life (when the procedure results in death) #endcuttinggirls
12. FGM Practice harms girls and women because it interferes with the natural functions of their bodies. #endcuttinggirls
13. According to World Health Organisation (WHO) over 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone some form of FGM. #endcuttinggirls
14. 15 million girls are at risk of experiencing it by 2020 in high prevalence countries (UNICEF, 2016. Female genital mutilation: a global concern. 2016). #endcuttinggirls
15. FGM has short terms and long term effects on the health and well-being of girls and women. #endcuttinggirls
16. Short term effects of FGM include: severe pain, excessive bleeding, shock, genital tissue swelling, infections, etc #endcuttinggirls
17. Long term effects of FGM cut across: chronic genital infections, urinary tract infections, painful urination, keloids, perinatal risks, etc #endcuttinggirls
18. For more info on this and other FGM related issues, please visit endcuttinggirls.org #endcuttinggirls
19. You can also like our Facebook page using the link facebook.com/endcuttinggirl… or visit our Youtube channel #endcuttinggirls
20.(a) Ways to empower boys/men to address the gender issues FGM are as follow #endcuttinggirls
(b) Creating campaigns specific towards enlightening Men/Boys about FGM #endcuttinggirls
(c) All stakeholders at the community, national, regional and international level should initiate or continue action to incorporate men into the campaign to #endcuttinggirls
21. Medicalization of FGM (Performance of FGM by health care provider) is never acceptable because this violates medical ethics,since(i) FGM is a harmful practice (ii) medicalization perpetuates FGM (iii) the risk of the procedure outweigh any perceived benefit. #endcuttinggirls
22. FGM constitute a violation of women and girls’ human rights and are a form of discrimination based on sex, gender, age and other grounds. #endcuttinggirls
23. FGM sustains gender norms and stereotypes that contravene human rights #endcuttinggirls
24. A number of international human rights conventions explicitly and implicitly address states’ obligations to eliminate FGM. #endcuttinggirls
25a. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women requires states to...
25b. “take all appropriate measures, including legislation, to modify or abolish existing laws, regulations, customs and practices which constitute discrimination against women.” #endcuttinggirls
26. FGM is a form of GBV, and more specifically, violence against women. Calls for new or strengthened legislation prohibiting violence against women and harmful traditional practices #endcuttinggirls
27. Any health care professional who performs FGM is violating girls’ and women’s right to life, right to physical integrity, and right to health. They are also violating the fundamental ethical principle #endcuttinggirls
