Female Genital Mutilation must end-UN

As the world marks International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation today (Tuesday) United Nations (UN) has stressed that with the dignity, health and well-being of millions of girls at stake, there is no time to waste as far as ending the harmful practice is concerned.

At the same time, a UN organization called UN Women has announced the appointment of renowned activist Jaha Dukureh of The Gambia as their Regional Goodwill Ambassador. Dukureh will dedicate her efforts to support UN Women's advocacy to end female genital mutilation (FGM) and child marriage in Africa, with focus on mobilizing youth. 

In his message on the day, UN Secretary‑General António Guterres' described FGM as a gross violation of the human rights of women and girls.  

Over 200 million women and girls alive today have experienced female genital mutilation in 30 countries across three continents.  Without concerted, accelerated action, a further 68 million girls could be subjected to this harmful practice by 2030, a press release issued yesterday said.

"With strong political engagement, we are seeing success in several countries.  But this progress is not enough to keep up with population growth.  Unless we act now, the number of cases will continue to rise," Guterres' warned. 

He noted that sustainable development cannot be achieved without full respect for the human rights of women and girls.  Sustainable Development Goal 5, with a focus on gender equality, calls for the elimination of female genital mutilation by 2030.

Together with the European Union, he said, the United Nations has launched the Spotlight Initiative, a global, multi-year undertaking that aims to create strong partnerships and align efforts to end all forms of violence against women and girls, including female genital mutilation.

"With the dignity, health and well-being of millions of girls at stake, there is no time to waste.  Together, we can and must end this harmful practice."

UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, noted that the harmful practice is mostly carried out on young girls when they have no option to make their wishes heard—sometime between infancy and age 15.

She described it as a human rights violation affecting at least 200 million girls and women alive today in the world. "It's a decision with immediate danger to their health, and life-long consequences for their bodies and relationships.

It also carries risks for women's ability to have children successfully and safely, as FGM brings significantly increased risk both of complications for the mother, and neonatal death for their babies," she said.

She added: "Together with child marriage, which similarly affects millions of girls worldwide, FGM is a practice that must end. It has no health benefits; only health damage, both physical and mental. It is an act that cuts away equality."

Dukureh, a survivor of FGM, and forced into child marriage at age 15, is the CEO and Founder of the NGO "Safe Hands for Girls" that provides support to African women and girls who are survivors of FGM and addresses its lifelong, harmful physical and psychological consequences.

Alongside women's organizations and civil society, she contributed to the Gambian Government's ban on FGM after youth mobilization and campaigning in the country.

Dukureh was also instrumental in advocating with President Obama's administration to investigate the prevalence of FGM in the United States, and the subsequent Summit to End FGM on 2 December, 2016 at the United States Institute of Peace.

Created in July 2010 by the United Nations General Assembly, UN Women is the UN organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide.