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Meanwhile, both the UNFPA Executive Director, Dr.
Babatunde Osotimehin and UNICEF Executive Director, Anthony Lake have said that
the world must make faster progress to end obnoxious practice by 2030.
Condemning the dastardly act in his statement to
mark the day, the duo said:“It irreparably damages girls’ bodies, inflicting
excruciating pain. It causes extreme emotional trauma that can last a lifetime.
“It increases the risk of deadly complications
during pregnancy, labour and childbirth, endangering both mother and child.
“It robs girls of their autonomy and violates
their human rights.
“It reflects the low status of girls and women and
reinforces gender inequality, fueling intergenerational cycles of
discrimination and harm.
“It is female genital mutilation and cutting. And
despite all the progress we have made toward abolishing this violent practice,
millions of girls – many of them under the age of 15 – will be forced to
undergo it this year alone. Sadly, they will join the almost 200 million girls
and women around the world who are already living with the damage FGM causes –
and whose communities are already affected by its impact.
“In 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals
recognized the close connection between FGM, gender inequality, and development
– and reignited global action to end FGM by 2030.
“In 2016, more than 2,900 communities,
representing more than 8.4 million people living in countries where UNFPA and
UNICEF work jointly to end FGM, declared they had abandoned the practice.
“In 2017, we must demand faster action to build on
this progress. That means calling on governments to enact and enforce laws and
policies that protect the rights of girls and women and prevent FGM.
“It means creating greater access to support
services for those at risk of undergoing FGM and those who have survived it. It
also means driving greater demand for those services, providing families and
communities with information about the harm FGM causes – and the benefits to be
gained by ending it.
“And ultimately, it means families and communities
taking action themselves and refusing to permit their girls to endure the
violation of FGM.
“Let us make this the generation that abolishes
FGM once and for all – and in doing so, help create a healthier, better world
for all.”
