??The International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation was decalred by the United Nations General Assembly on February 6th, 2012 as part of their efforts to eliminate this practice, which is a violation of the human rights, the health and the integrity of girls and women.
Female genital mutilation (FGM) comprises all procedures that involve altering or injuring the external or internal female genitalia for non-medical reasons.
It has such a cruel impact on girls and women's health: severe chronic pain, shock, excessive bleeding, infections, difficulty in passing urine, increased risk of HIV transmission, anxiety and depression, birth complications, infertility and, in the worst cases, death.
We should consider it a persistent universal problem that we urgently need to address. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFAP) estimates that some 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone some form of FGM and that another 68 million girls are at risk of being mutilated by 2030.
WHY?
FGM is a deeply entrenched social and cultural norm in many places. As a prerequisite for marriage, it is a manifestation of deeply rooted gender inequality. People who reject the practice may face condemnation or ostracism, and their daughters are often considered ineligible for marriage. It can also be considered a rite of passage, or part of religious beliefs in some societies.
ACTION
At the moment, the United Nations and UNFPA-UNICEF run a joint programme to promote the elimination of FGM, to engage whole communities and to focus on human rights, gender equality, sexual education and attention to the needs of women and girls who suffer from its consequences.
Global community is called on to reimagine a world that enables girls and women to have voice, choice, and control over their own lives. The programme currently focuses on 17 countries in Africa and the Middle East and also supports regional and global initiatives.
Learn more: https://www.unfpa.org/female-genital-mutilation#summery120403
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