The set of twins would, by now, have been hanged to death in Kaida Village, Gwagwalada, on the outskirts of Abuja.
However, the arrival of
humanitarian workers 24 hours before their scheduled death left them a survival
window that their mother bravely explored.
Narrating the experience on
Facebook, she wrote: “As soon as we arrived the community, this woman
immediately handed us her newly-born twin babies, asking us to take them away;
they were only 2days old.
I asked her why she was
giving up on her kids, she replied and said they will be killed in few days
from today if still with her. She heard we were coming and came out just to
give us the babies!
“This is her 4th pregnancy,
and her 4th set of twins also! Oh yes! You heard me right! Twins are considered
as evil in this community since time immemorial, and are killed (hanged) on the
third day after delivery.”
Since Mary Slessor stopped
the practice of infanticide of twins among the Ibibio in the 19th century,
numerous individuals and groups have followed suit with nationwide campaigns on
the rights of twins to life.
Still, the practice
persists — particularly in villages far flung form major towns and cities, such
as Kaida.
No comments:
Post a Comment