Uganda: Time to Unite in Fight Against Female Genital Mutilation

10 November 2009
opinion

In countries all over the world today, women live with the threat, or consequences, of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). In Africa alone an estimated three million girls and women are subjected to the practice each year, and some 92 million of the continent's female population are estimated to have been victims of FGM.

The justification for the procedure changes from country to country. In some parts of the continent, religious scriptures are disingenuously invoked. In others parts it is cultural traditions that help keep the practice alive. But whatever the reasoning, the simple fact of the matter is that FGM is a blatant violation of the most fundamental human rights and must be eradicated.

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