Tuesday, November 4, 2014

UN chief Ban Ki-moon launched global campaign to end female genital mutilation

United Nations (UN) chief Ban Ki-moon on 30 0ctober 2014 launched a global campaign in Kenya to end the deadly practice of female genital mutilation.

More than 125 million girls and women have been cut in 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East. If current trends continue, 86 million young girls are likely to undergo same form of the practice by 2030.

As per the UN, the practice of female genital mutilation is a violation of human rights. In 2012, the U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring zero tolerance for female genital mutilation (FGM) with the hope to raise awareness against the practice.

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) ranges from the hacking off of the clitoris to the mutilation and removal of the entire female genitalia and is carried out from the youngest babies to teenagers.

FGM is mostly carried out on young girls sometime between infancy and age 15. It can cause severe bleeding and health issues including cysts, infections and infertility as well as complications in childbirth and increased risk of newborn deaths.  

In 2001, Kenya passed a law to criminalize FGM especially for girls under 18. The law came into effect in 2011. The government established the anti-FGM board and developed a policy to implement the prohibition of FGM under the FGM Act 2011.

The government also employed various strategies in the campaign against FGM these include awareness raising and education campaigns.

No comments:

Post a Comment