Schoolgirl fighting to resist the threat of Female Genital Mutilation

I Stand Against Female Genital Mutilation

A 16-year-old girl living in Rochdale, whose asylum application has been refused, fears she will be forced to undergo Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) if she is returned to her native Nigeria.

Olayinka Olatunde and her family were forced to flee Nigeria three years ago following attempts to make her undergo Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), part of the cultural tradition within her father's family and tribe.

Her mother, Abiola's, eldest child died in Nigeria 21 years ago after being forced to undergo FGM when she was eight years old. Abiola was terrified that the same thing would happen to her younger daughter. In 2009, attempts were made to force the procedure on Olayinka by her father's family, but she resisted them.

Abiola was advised by police to move with her children to a different part of Nigeria – she did this but Olayinka's father's family tracked them down and they left the country to seek asylum in the UK.

Since 2010, when her father died, Olayinka has been at even higher risk of being forced to undergo FGM in Nigeria. She and her mother are being blamed for his death as it is a cultural belief that, without the FGM, bad things will continue to happen to their family.

Their asylum claim was refused in June last year and, in July, Olayinka took an overdose saying she would prefer to die rather than return to Nigeria. She and the rest of her family are still at risk of being forcibly removed from the UK to Nigeria.

Her psychologist has explained “This psychological distress will remain high unless the physical threat to her safety is addressed", and her psychiatrist has concluded "There are significant clinical risks to Olayinka if the family are forced to return to Nigeria".

Teachers and health workers are backing the campaign by Olayinka and her family to remain in the UK. Their fight is also supported by a group of Nigerian men living in this country who are strongly opposed to FGM.

Nick Wigmore, Rochdale NUT Secretary and representative on the Union's National Executive Council, said: “We must ensure that we do everything we can to protect the children in our community and ensure they are protected from physical and psychological harm, wherever that threat lies. Olayinka must be protected from FGM and we must act collectively to demonstrate opposition to her deportation.” 

A fund-raising event was held in April in Rochdale to support 16-year-old Olayinka, her mum and two teenage brothers in their campaign to remain in the UK.

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Female genital mutilation (FGM) is the partial or total removal of a girl’s external genitals. Her body is physically damaged when the healthy tissue of her genitals are cut away. There are no health benefits to FGC. Complex cultural and social reasons are often given about why it is practised.

FGC has harmful effects on the health and wellbeing of a woman throughout her life and contravenes human, women’s and child rights.