UN warns that 3 million girls at risk for genital mutilation

The United Nations is reporting that while progress has been made in reducing female genital mutilation millions of girls are still at risk each year.

The UN said that much of the progress has come when communities and families have taken action and called for a change when it comes to female genital mutilation (FGM/C). The UN and UNICEF are working together to continue reducing the number of girls who are at risk for the painful procedure that can cause pain and in some cases death. The UN launched the Inter-agency Statement in February 2008 to support the abandonment of FGM/C by 2015. One nation, Senegal, has had encouraging success with declines of up to 65 per cent recorded since the push against FGM/C. Still it is estimated that up to 140 million women have undergone the practice. Each year 3 million new young girls are at risk in the countries where the procedure is commonplace. “The practice persists because it is sustained by social perceptions, including that girls and their families will face shame, social exclusion and diminished marriage prospects if they forego cutting,” a press release from the United Nations stated. “These perceptions can, and must, change.”