By Muhammadu Sabiu
Virginity testing is forbidden, Dr Oluwajimi Sodipo, a consultant family physician at the teaching hospital of Lagos State University, said in Ilorin on Wednesday.
He revealed to the News Agency of Nigeria that the WHO had ruled the practice to be unlawful while he was attending a session for primary healthcare professionals.
Aside from the WHO announcement, he said, the practice was antiquated.
The most common reasons for conducting the virginity test are requests from parents or suitors to see whether the girl is eligible for marriage or to determine her suitability for a job.
According to the WHO, a virginity test is a gynaecological exam done with the intent of determining if a woman or girl has had vaginal contact.
He added that the practice was frequently agonizing, embarrassing, and distressing, adding 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.
