Ways to prevent harmful traditional practices in Nigeria…List 5 ways of preventing harmful traditional practice. How to stop harmful traditional practices in Nigeria.
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What are the ways of preventing harmful traditional practices?
Harmful traditional and cultural practices permeate the length and breadth of the Nigerian society and in fact Africa. I have already written in details the examples of harmful traditional practices still with us… Today, I feel like since I have elaborated the problems, it will be important to discuss the the solutions and ways to prevent the barbaric harmful cultural practices…
Preventing harmful traditional practices (HTPs) in Nigeria or Africa is not the responsibility of the government alone, spirited individuals, civil society organisations, religious leaders, traditional heads, rights group, health organizations and key stakeholders including the uneducated have a role to play.
How can we prevent harmful traditional practices in Nigeria?
Keep reading….
Ways to prevent harmful traditional practices in Nigeria
1. Education
Education and public enlightenment especially in the local level (rural areas) where these obnoxious traditional practices are daily will go a long way in stopping it. While trying to educate the general public, the dangers of these cultural practice should be high listed. For example, the people should be made to understand the health implications, social impact and stigma associated with female genital mutilation (FGM) or cutting. Education and cultural re-orientation should be targeted at the gatekeepers of the society like traditional rulers, religious leaders, school teachers and so on.
Social media campaigns against harmful traditional practices is not enough as only 10million Nigerians out of 200million use the internet…. Jingles on the need for the abolition of some of the harmful cultural practices will reach a greater number of people if conducted via Local radio and television stations.
The education of the Nigerian public on the dangers of harmful cultural practices, the victims of these cultural practices should also be encouraged to talk to the public either through radio or television. For example, women who suffered the horrors of female genital mutilation and breast ironing will tell a better story of their experiences and trust me, people will realize the need to put a stop to the archaic traditional practices…
2. Legislation and enforcement
While educating the public on the dangers associated with some of these harmful traditional practices, it is important laws are enacted and enforced to prevent the harmful practices in the community. For example, there are now extant laws against female genital mutilations (female circumcision), Osu caste system being practiced in igboland (south east Nigeria), laws that prohibits violence against women etc…. With these laws, the common harmful traditional practices in Nigeria like female circumcision, and UME Osu caste system have drastically reduced…. Don’t forget that the Nigerian Supreme Court recently gave a landmark judgement that now allows female inheritance in Igboland. The Nigerian government is already putting in place laws to criminalize tribal markings of newborn babies.
The battle is not won yet though, the Nigerian government especially the Akwa Ibom state government is yet to enact laws that will protect children, women and persons against the barbaric witchcraft hunting still been openly practiced in the state.
3. Girl Child Education
Women are most times the target of these harmful cultural practices in the African society… For example female genital cutting, breast ironing, prohibition of female inheritance are identified traditional practices that affects the girl child that will later become a woman. Education of the girl child and adult female education will give the female some form of impetus to resist these socio-cultural malaise meant to impede her from reaching her full potential. Don’t also forget, the major enforcers of harmful cultural practices in Nigerian local communities are females, so, targeted education of the females will go a long way in eradicating these harmful traditional practices…Educating the girl child and of course women will equip them with the knowledge of challenging cultural practices that are harmful or illegal.
4. Educating the men.
Men, yes men who are most times the traditional heads, politicians, govt functionaries, and even head of homes or households have a big role to play in eradicating these harmful traditional practices in our communities… Eradicating harmful practices should not be targeted at the females alone, men who are believed to be the custodian of our tradition (no matter how barbaric) and who for now wields most of the authority in the society should be carried along….The should be educated on the dangers of harmful cultural practices and the need for culture change or dynamism.
5. Provision of basic health amenities in the rural and sub-urban communities
Most times, what drives and encourage the harmful traditional health practices is the lack of basic health facilities like the primary health care centres in our local communities….these health facilities are supposed to educate the general public on health behavior and sustainable health practices. The primary health care facilities are meant to treat basic ailments like malaria, pneumonia, provide antenatal services for maternal and child health, administer vaccines and take safe delivery…. It is communuties that lack modern health facilities that will carry out dastardly health practices like abdominal scarification to treat enlarged spleen (ude) caused mostly by malaria and sickle cell anemia…. So provision of appropriate health amenities will in the long run stop some of the harmful traditional practices in Nigeria.
Please let us join hands together to stop harmful traditional practices in Nigeria and in Africa… We should all by now, accept that culture is dynamic and the bad aspects of our culture most be expunged.
6. Women Empowerment
When a woman is economically empowered, she becomes less a victim of barbaric cultural practices in the communities… Watch it, most times, women who engage themselves in enforcing these harmful traditional practices in local communities are not gainfully employed as the have all the time in the hands to carryout dastardly acts on other women or children in the name of culture…. Empower them economically to have some form of financial freedom and to keep them busy, harmful traditional practices will slowly die a natural death.
Conclusion:
I have been able to talk or explain some measures that can be taken to eradicate harmful traditional practices in the Nigerian or African society…
Thank you for reading.
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