UNICEF Executive Director, Anthony Lake
UNFPA Executive Director, Dr Babatunde Osotimehin, and UNICEF
Executive Director, Anthony Lake, made their joint statement during the
2016 International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation.
“All of us must join in this call. There simply is no place for FGM
in the future we are striving to create – a future where every girl
will grow up able to experience her inherent dignity, human rights and
equality by 2030,” UNFPA and UNICEF said in a statement.
They described the vice as a violent practice, scarring girls for
life -- endangering their health, depriving them of their rights, and
denying them the chance to reach their full potential.
“FGM is widespread. It is a global problem that goes well beyond
Africa and the Middle East, where the practice has been most prevalent
-- affecting communities in Asia, Australia, Europe, North and South
America. And the number of girls and women at risk will only get larger
if current population trends continue, wiping out hard-won gains,” they
said in a statement.
“FGM is discrimination. It both reflects and reinforces the
discrimination against women and girls, perpetuating a vicious cycle
that is detrimental to development and to our progress as a human
family.”
They said: “FGM must end”.
In September at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit,
193 states unanimously agreed to a new global target of eliminating FGM
by 2030. “This recognition that FGM is a global concern is a critical
milestone.”
“But the recognition, while important, is not enough. To protect
the well-being and dignity of every girl, we need to take responsibility
as a global community for ending FGM.”
“That means we need to learn more -- improving our data collection
to measure the full extent of the practice -- and do more. We need to
encourage more communities and families to abandon FGM. We need to work
with larger numbers of medical communities -- including traditional and
medical professionals -- persuading them to refuse to perform or
support FGM. We need to support more women and girls who have undergone
the harmful practice and provide them with services and help to
overcome the trauma they have suffered. And we need to support and
empower girls around the world to make their voices heard and call out
to put an end to FGM.”
UNFPA works to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted,
every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is
fulfilled.
UNICEF promotes the rights and well-being of every child, in
everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries
and territories to translate that commitment into practical action,
focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded
children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.
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