5 consequences of harmful traditional practices in Nigeria. What are the consequences of harmful traditional practices in Nigeria
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What are the consequences of harmful traditional practices in Nigeria?
Africa and in fact Nigeria is plagued with harmful cultural practices that has caused death, diseases, discrimination, mental disorders, poverty and has maimed many. Without further Ado, let us dive into the topic of discussion.
5 consequences of harmful traditional practices in Nigeria
1. Some harmful traditional practices has caused diseases….
Some of the invasive harmful cultural practices like abdominal scarification, body scarification tribal marking, unhygienic umbilical cord cutting, female genital cutting, unhygienic male circumcision, removal of the epiglottis etc can cause wound infections leading to diseases like hepatitis b or c, tetanus, HIV, wound infections and sepsis. The complications of these diseases that arose from these harmful traditional practices can lead to multiple organ damage, terminal or chronic illnesses or even death.
2.Mental Disorder, depression and possibly suicide
Once of the consequences of harmful traditional practices in Nigeria is the development of mental illnesses, depression and even suicide thoughts found in the traumatized victims. There are true documented stories of victims of female circumcision who committed suicide. The trauma of the barbaric widow treatment in Igboland can drive a woman into depression.
3. Poverty
A girl child is denied or forbidden from inheriting her own fathers property in igboland simply because she is a woman is directly economically disadvantage with no hope of capital base of fighting poverty…compared to the males who inherits everything. In 2014, the Supreme Court abolished that inhuman igbo culture saying it tramples on the rights of women to their father’s properties and also put females at an economic disadvantage….Poverty is one of the negative impact or consequences of harmful traditional practices or values in our communities.
4. Vesico-vaginal fistula (VVF) and obstructed labour
Early and forced marriage of underage girls is a major cause of obstructed labour and vesicovaginal fistula in northern Nigeria. Have you ever seen a women leaking urine, it is quite depressing…. Obstructed labour is the major cause of maternal and child mortality in Nigeria.
READ ALSO: Ways to prevent harmful traditional practices in Nigeria
5. Stigmatization /discrimination
One of the consequences of harmful traditional igbo culture that practices osu caste system is the stigma synonymous with the dreadful system. In the osu caste system, the practice is similar to apartheid, freeborns are separated from the slaveborn. The lower class members of the igbo community called the osu cannot marry the freeborns or live peacefully among the freeborns.In politics, the osu born cannot contest elective office or get an appointment…. They are simply discriminated against and the suffer loads of social stigma.
6. Disfigurement/Blindness
Acid bathe is still a very common practice in Benin city, Edo state and in other parts of Nigeria… Most times, the perpetrator of acid bathe targets the face in a bid to disfigure it as 90percent of this harmful practice is love-jealousy tigggered.. One of the complications or consequences of acid bath I have seen is facial disfigurement and blindness.
7. Lack of education for the girl child.
In a society that pays more attention to boy-child and treat girl child education with levity, the girl child will be less educated OR not educated at all because they are most times forced to drop out of school so that the male child can be educated.
8. Death
Of course, you can guess the large number of people that have died from the harmful practices of most Nigerians….I have seen a child die from tetanus that results from a dirty abdominal scarification done to treat splenomegaly (ude).
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