Whether women or girls are abducted and forced to undergo female genital mutilation (FGM) [NGA103310.E]

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

According to the Nigeria Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) NGO Coalition Shadow Report submitted to the United Nations (UN), female genital mutilation (FGM) is "prevalent in most parts of Nigeria" (2008, 23). The United States (US) Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2008 states that FGM is performed on females at various ages, including on newborn girls and women who have delivered their first child (25 Feb. 2008, Sec. 5). The 2008 Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) reports that 82 percent of circumcised women had undergone the procedure before their first birthday (Nigeria Nov. 2009, 301).

Information on whether women or girls are abducted and forced to undergo FGM was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate. However, a British-Danish fact-finding mission cited WomenAid Collective (WACOL), an independent non-governmental organization (NGO) in Nigeria focused on gender equality and human rights (WACOL n.d.), as saying that if a woman flees from FGM, the Nigerian authorities may refer her to an NGO that is focused on women's issues (UK/Denmark Oct. 2008, 18).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Nigeria. November 2009. National Population Commission. Demographic and Health Survey 2008. [Accessed 1 Dec. 2009]

Nigeria Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) / NGO Coalition. 2008. The Nigeria CEDAW NGO Coalition Shadow Report Submitted to the 41st Session of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. [Accessed 10 Nov. 2009]

United Kingdom (UK) / Denmark. October 2008. Border Agency / Danish Immigration Service. "Report of Joint British-Danish Fact-Finding Mission to Lagos and Abuja, Nigeria." (Refworld) [Accessed 10 Nov. 2009]

United States (US). 25 February 2009. "Nigeria." Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2008. [Accessed 10 Nov. 2009]

WomenAid Collective (WACOL). N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 18 Nov. 2009]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Attempts to contact representatives of BAOBAB for Women's Human Rights, the International Center for the Advancement of Reproductive Health (CIFARH), Project Alert, WomenAid Collective (WACOL) and Women's Rights Watch Nigeria were unsuccessful.

Internet sites, including: Amnesty International (AI), BAOBAB for Women's Human Rights, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), European Country of Origin Information Network (ecoi.net), Freedom House, Heinrich Boll Foundation, Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), International Center for the Advancement of Reproductive Health (CIFARH), Human Rights Watch (HRW), Landinfo, Nigeria Federal Ministry of Women's Affairs and Social Development, The Female Genital Cutting and Education and Networking Project, WomenAid Collective (WACOL), Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML), World Health Organization (WHO).