Dr. Oluwajimi Sodipo, a consultant family physician at the teaching hospital of Lagos State University, said that virginity tests are prohibited in Ilorin on Wednesday.
On the sidelines of a session for primary healthcare providers, he told the News Agency of Nigeria that the WHO had deemed the practice to be unlawful.
Aside from the WHO announcement, he said, the practice was antiquated.
The most frequent justifications for performing the virginity test are requests from parents or suitors to determine the girl’s eligibility for marriage or a career.
A virginity test, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), is a gynecological examination conducted with the goal of establishing if a woman or girl has had vaginal contact.
The WHO has issued a global plea to end violence against women and girls, according to Sodipo, who also noted that the act is medically unnecessary.
He continued by saying that the practice was frequently agonizing, embarrassing, and distressing.
He claimed that the idea of a virginity test was false because a woman’s lack of a hymen did not necessarily indicate that she was promiscuous.
“The perception that there must be a blood-stained sheet at first intercourse to indicate virginity is not always scientifically correct,’’ Dr Sodipo.
Speaking about gender-based violence, he noted that because female victims were more vulnerable, there had been more focus on them.
New statistics indicated that men and boys were becoming victims more frequently, he added.
He observed that stereotypes made it less likely for guys who had been affected by the threat to discuss their situation.
Dr. Sodipo recommended survivors to seek assistance from healthcare professionals and other pertinent parties rather than keeping quiet about their situation.
