UN calls to protect millions of girls from FMG
The United Nations has called for collaboration at all levels, and across all sectors of society, to protect millions of girls and women at risk of female genital mutilation (FGM) every year. In a message commemorating the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted that by working together, “we can eliminate female genital mutilation by 2030. The heads of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) also highlighted that eliminating FGM and achieving gender equality are interdependent, mutually reinforcing goals.
UNFPA estimates there may be as many as 2 million cases of female genital mutilation by 2030 that would have otherwise been averted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021 alone, there are 4.16 million girls around the world, who are at risk of undergoing female genital mutilation.
According to a UNFPA (pre-COVID-19) study, the cost of preventing female genital mutilation is $95 per girl today.
30 countries where female genital mutilation is prevalent are experiencing high population growth, with at least 30 per cent of girls undergoing female population under the age of 15.
Around 1 in 4 girls and women, or 52 million worldwide, experienced female genital mutilation, performed by health personnel pointing to an alarming trend in the medicalization of female genital mutilation
According to the UN ,Together, we can eliminate female genital mutilation by 2030. Doing so will have a positive ripple effect on the health, education and economic advancement of girls and women.
Ending Female Genital Mutilation by 2030 :
Female genital mutilation (FGM) comprises all procedures that involve altering or injuring the female genitalia for non-medical reasons and is recognized internationally as a violation of the human rights, the health and the integrity of girls and women.
Girls who undergo female genital mutilation face short-term complications such as severe pain, shock, excessive bleeding, infections, and difficulty in passing urine, as well as long-term consequences for their sexual and reproductive health and mental health.
Although primarily concentrated in 30 countries in Africa and the Middle East, female genital mutilation is a universal problem and is also practiced in some countries in Asia and Latin America. Female genital mutilation continues to persist amongst immigrant populations living in Western Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand.
