SOUTH-EAST ASIA (dpa): Around 4.5 million girls worldwide are at risk of female genital mutilation (FGM) this year, UN agencies have warned.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the UN children's agency UNICEF condemned the practice as it marked the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation on Friday.
The procedure involves the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, sometimes on children under the age of 5.
In countries across Africa, Asia and the Middle East where it is practiced, it is often justified on grounds of tradition or religion, with claims that it ensures girls' virginity.
In reality, the intervention frequently leads to severe, lifelong health complications. Around 230 million girls and women worldwide are living with the consequences of genital mutilation, the agencies said.
Education and awareness efforts have helped reduce the practice since 1990, WHO and UNICEF said. At that time, one in two girls in affected countries underwent the procedure; today, the figure is about one in three.
However, cuts to aid funding and systematic attempts to halt the fight against the practice - or to label it "safe" when performed by medical professionals - are making the work more difficult, the agencies warned. -dpa
