Do more to stem pro-FGM wave in some counties

The International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation was marked yesterday amid reports that cases of this retrogressive practice are on the rise. The United Nations Children’s Fund estimates that 200 million procedures were carried out worldwide last year, which is 70 million more than it had estimated.

The children’s charity says Egypt, Ethiopia and Indonesia account for half the FGM cases worldwide, and in Kenya, there are disturbing reports that reputable institutions have been unable to stem rising cases of FGM in some regions. In one case, a church was involved in a programme to perform FGM using modified surgical procedures to limit the trauma and health risk associated with the “cut”.