To commemorate the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), the UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Director of UN Women called for an end to the practice of FGM in every nation. She said that FGM “has no health benefits; only health damage, both physical and mental . . . that make it almost impossible for the girls affected to have the same life chances as boys.”
UN Women also announced the appointment of a regional goodwill ambassador who will focus on ending FGM and forced or child marriage. Jaha Dukureh, from Africa, will emphasize working with and mobilizing young people to “stop the cycle” that allows these harmful traditional practices to continue.
The International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation is held on February 6.
Compiled from: Statement: “FGM is an act that cuts away equality”, UN Women News (February 2, 2018).