[JURIST] UN officials on Friday called for [press release] an end to female genital mutilation (FGM) [WHO backgrounder], including the medicalization of the practice. Officials were reminded of the reality of the “deeply harmful” nature of the practice on February 6, the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation [event website]. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon [official website] indicated that at least 130 million women and girls are affected by FGM, a practice that the UN contends has no health benefits. The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UN Population Fund (UNPFA) and International Confederation of Midwives and the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) [official websites] issued a joint statement recognizing the rights of women and girls, as well, stating:

FGM is illegal in many countries, and medical providers who perform it in these places are breaking the law. But in every country, whether legal or not medical providers who perform FGM are violating the fundamental rights of girls and women.

Ban called for an end to FGM in order for young women to be able to grow up in a world unaffected by such acts of discrimination.

The UN has consistently campaigned [JURIST news archive] for an end to FGM, labeling the practice, among other things, gender-based discrimination, torture, an affront to human dignity and an irreparable, irreversible abuse of the human rights of women and girls. In October Ban praised [JURIST report] the launch of a global media campaign against female genital mutilation. In July UK Prime Minister David Cameron [official website] announced [JURIST report] plans to enact new laws that will protect girls from the practice. In July 2013, noting the continued pervasiveness of FGM, UNICEF reported [JURIST report] a world-wide decline in the practice due to multiple campaigns intended to educate parents on the emotional and physical health risks associated with the procedure and its aftermath.