Guterres warns female genital mutilation, calls to end ‘abhorrent practice’
Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 7th Feb. UN chief Antonio Guterres on Tuesday warned that 4.4 million girls are at risk of female genital mutilation this year, appealed for action to end this “egregious violation of fundamental human rights” and give greater voice to survivors.
“Even one mutilation is one too many,” António Guterres said in his message to mark the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation observed annually on 6 February.
UN estimates that 200 million women and girls have been subjected to some form of FGM globally which involves the removal of or injury to female genitalia for non-medical reasons.
Mr. Guterres stressed the need for urgent investments to achieve elimination by 2030..
He called for decisive action to tackle the social, economic and political norms that perpetuate discrimination against women and girls, limit their participation and leadership, and restrict their access to education and employment.
“That starts with challenging the patriarchal power structures and attitudes at the root of this abhorrent practice,” he said.
He urged countries to redouble efforts and investments to uphold the rights of women and girls and put a decisive end to FGM once and for all.
“And we need to amplify the voices of survivors and support their efforts to reclaim their lives, based on their bodily autonomy,” he added.
UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency is helping communities to break the cycle surrounding FGM.
UNFPA said that in Yemen 20 per cent of women and girls aged 15 to 49 were FGM survivors in 2013.
Most were cut within their first week of life. Hadramout governorate alone had a prevalence rate of 80 per cent that year.
UN agency said that many factors to drive the practice including the pressure to conform to deeply embedded cultural norms, a fear of ostracism for not doing so, and limited awareness of its harms.
In Hadramout, many people believe the procedure is required by religion, despite profuse evidence to the contrary. Often women who have been subject to FGM support continuing the tradition.
UNFPA with the UNICEF have spearheaded the largest global programme to accelerate FGM elimination, and a recent campaign in Hadramout reached more than 400 people over eight days since 2008.
