news.un.org
2024-03-12
Released on Friday, coinciding with International Women's Day, the data compiled by UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) shows that the pace of progress against FGM remains slow and woefully off track to meet the Sustainable Development Goal of ending the practice by 2030 (SDG 5, target 5.3).
The global pace of decline worldwide would need to be 27 times faster to reach the target, said the agency.
FGM or cutting, is a practice that involves altering or injuring the female genitalia for non-medical reasons.
Worrying trend
"Female genital mutilation harms girls' bodies, dims their futures, and endangers their lives," said Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director.
"We're also seeing a worrying trend that more girls are subjected to the practice at younger ages, many before their fifth birthday. That further reduces the window to intervene. We need to strengthen the efforts of ending this harmful practice."
To eradicate FGM, UNICEF is calling on communities and leaders everywhere to step up their efforts to end gender discrimination and inequality, urgently invest in services for girls, prioritize girls' rights in laws and policies, and better track the prevalence of FGM using reliable data.