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U.N. Intensifies Campaign Against Female Genital Mutilation By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, Feb 7, 2011 (IPS) - The United Nations is intensifying its global campaign to
eliminate one of the most widely-condemned religious and
cultural rituals in the world today, mostly in Africa and
Asia: female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C).
The joint efforts by two U.N. agencies - the U.N. Population
Fund (UNFPA) and the U.N. children's agency UNICEF - have
resulted in over 6,000 communities abandoning the
physically-harmful practice in countries such as Ethiopia,
Egypt, Kenya, Senegal, Burkina Faso, the Gambia, Guinea and
Somalia.
Asked if FGM/C is prevalent mostly in Africa or in Asia, and
whether it is confined primarily to Muslim communities, Dr.
Nafissatou J. Diop, coordinator of the Joint UNFPA-UNICEF
Programme on FGM/C, told IPS the practice takes place mainly
in 28 African and West Asian countries.
"But it also exists in a number of Asian countries, such as
Indonesia, Malaysia and Kurdistan, and also among migrant
communities," she said.
As a practice, it predates organised religion. "So is not
confined to one religious group," she added.
FGM/C, which refers to the removal of all or part of the
female genitalia, is also known to be practiced among Asian
and African migrant communities in Europe and North America.
This practice, according to UNFPA/UNICEF, is undertaken for
cultural or other non-medical reasons - often causing severe
pain and sometimes resulting in prolonged bleeding,
infection, infertility and even death.
The joint UNFPA/UNICEF initiative against FGM/C, set up in
2008, is aimed at encouraging communities to collectively
abandon the practice using a culturally sensitive approach,
including dialogue and social networking, leading to
abandonment within one generation.
Asked how many communities still practice it, Diop said
"whilst we do not have the data yet to show the absolute
scale of FGM/C and how many communities practice it, we know
that up to three million girls a year are cut in Africa
alone" while up to 140 million women and girls have already
undergone the practice.
In Senegal, she said, the non-governmental organisation
(NGO) Tostan has estimated that 5,000 communities practice
FGM/C while 4,625 communities have abandoned it.
"We do not have this clear figure in other countries. The
success of the programme in such a short timeframe shows us
that we have an effective, proven model that can lead to
rapid social change in a community," Diop noted.
She also pointed out that in Ethiopia, the prevalence rate
has fallen from 80 percent to 74 percent, in Kenya from 32
percent to 27 percent, and in Egypt from 97 percent to 91
percent.
"But there is still a lot of work to do," added Diop.
In a statement issued Sunday commemorating the International
Day Against FGM/C, UNFPA Executive Director Babatunde
Osotimehin and UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake
renewed their commitment to put an end to the harmful
practice.
"We call on the global community to join us in this critical
effort. Together, we can abolish FGM/C in one generation and
help millions of girls and women to live healthier, fuller
lives," they said.
The statement also said the programme is anchored in human
rights and involves all groups within a community, including
religious leaders and young girls themselves. Rather than
condemn FGM/C, it encourages collective abandonment to avoid
alienating those that practice it and instead bring about
their voluntary renunciation.
"Social norms and cultural practices are changing, and women
and men in communities are uniting to protect the rights of
girls," said the joint statement.
"UNFPA and UNICEF are working with partners to end this
harmful practice in one generation and we believe that
reaching this goal is possible," said the U.N. agency
chiefs.
Describing the practice as a violation of women's rights as
well, the statement said that "all girls deserve to grow up
free from harmful practices that endanger their health and
well-being".
(END)
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