Female Genital Mutilation: A practice to be fought at all costs

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is internationally recognized as a human rights violation, and can lead to short- and long-term health complications, complications during childbirth, infertility and, in the worst cases, death.

An estimated 200 million girls and women have undergone genital mutilation, very often before the age of 15.

With a view to putting an end to this practice, in 2012 the United Nations General Assembly adopted the first resolution against female genital mutilation.

Numerous efforts are being made to put an end to the practice, including the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Program on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation, launched in 2008.

Numerous methods are also employed to this end, including collective abandonment, when the entire community decides to renounce the practice.

All these efforts and advances must be maintained and multiplied if we are to eradicate this practice once and for all by 2030.