Tuna, (N/R), Feb. 16, GNA - Mrs Florence Ali, President of the Ghana=

Association for Women Welfare (GAWW), has called for the formation of anti-Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) clubs in all schools at the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District to help stop the practice. She said if teachers allow the formation of these clubs in their schools, children would be better informed on the dangers associated with=

FGM and the information would subsequently be well disseminated to their parents.

Mrs Ali was speaking at a durbar organised by the GAWW to mark the 7= th Anniversary of Zero Tolerance to FGM on Saturday at Tuna in the Sawla Tun= a Kalba District of the Northern Region. The durbar, which was organised under the theme: "The Role of Men an= d Boys in the Eradication of FGM," was sponsored by the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF). It was aimed at equipping children with the requisite knowledge abou= t FGM to enable them serve as peer educators in their communities and to st= and firm against its practice.

Mrs Ali mentioned difficulty in passing urine, severe bleeding, formation of tough scar tissues, pelvic inflammatory diseases leading to infertility, inability of menstrual blood flow and risk of catching blood=

transmitted diseases as some of the dangers of FGM. She said 28 African countries including Ghana practice FGM, adding t= hat it had however been reduced to about 2.8 percent in the country because o= f the intense education carried out by government agencies and Non Governmental Organisations.

She noted that a nation without healthy women would eventually becom= e a sick nation and urged children to join in the campaign against FGM to sav= e the lives of women. Mr Alhassan Bukari Shakuoru, the District Chief Executive (DCE) than= ked the organizers of the durbar and said he had set up a women and children sub-committee at the District Assembly to take care of all issues affect= ing women in the district.

The DCE also announced the allocation of an amount of GH¢3,000 sup= port for women in the "pito" (palm wine) industry since it was the major econo= mic activity for women in the district. Mrs Ruby Anang, UNICEF representative reiterated their commitment towards the welfare of children and advised them to take issues concernin= g their health and education seriously. She said the practice of FGM was capable of destroying a woman for l= ife and told the children that it was a crime and they should therefore endeavour to report any one engaged in such negative socio-cultural pract= ice to the appropriate authorities.

Reverend Father Thomas Dabuo thanked GAWW for honouring his invitati= on and pledged that he would continue to work hard to ensure the total eradication of negative cultural practices such as FGM, elopement of teen= age girls and early marriage in the district. Mr Sagba Chopire Joseph, the Presiding Member urged the organizers t= o include parents whenever they hold any educational forum on FGM in the district.