Mogadishu, (InsideSomalia.org) United Nations called on Somali authorities end female genital mutilation, say in a statement released on Monday in Nairobi Kenya.
As the world marks today the International Day against Female Genital Mutilation, United Nations called all Somalis To challenge the deeply rooted socio-cultural practice that discriminates and create the environment for the continuation of Human rights violation against women, said press release from the office of the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia.
The UN is calling on Somali authorities to intensify efforts to stop FGM in all its forms, and advance gender equality and human rights, including the right to sexual and reproductive health. The authorities should formulate and implement effective policies and laws that protect women.
Additionally, communities need to be educated and engaged in the development of prevention programs, which are culturally sensitive and take into account local realities, said the press release.
The UN Security General's in-depth study on violence against women reported that, as of April 2006, fifteen African states where FGM is prevalent have made it an offence under criminal law. Somali authorities should also take the necessary steps to classify FGM as a criminal offence.
Female Genital Mutilation violates the basic rights of women and girls and seriously compromises their health, posing risks during childbirth, and leaving lasting physical and psychological scars. It robs women and girls of their rights to equal opportunity, health and freedom from violence, injury, abuse, torture and cruel or inhuman and degrading treatment, as well as the right to make decision concerning reproduction. These rights protected by the international law.
Most of the girls and women who have undergone genital mutilation live in 28 African countries, although some live in Asia and the Middle East. They are also increasingly found in Europe, Australia, Canada and the USA, primarily among immigrants from these countries.
Today, the number of girls and women who have been undergone female genital mutilation is estimated at between 100 and 140 million. It is estimated that each year, a further 2 million girls are at risk of undergoing FGM.
The most common form of female genital mutilation (FGM) or female genital cutting (FGC) practiced in Somalia is Type III (commonly referred to as infibulations and in Somalia, the "Pharaonic circumcision"). Eighty percent of all genital procedures for women and girls consist of this form which is the most harmful form. The less radical or Type I (commonly referred to as clitoridectomy and in Somalia sometimes called "sunna") is practiced mainly in the coastal towns of Mogadishu, Brava, Merca and Kismayu. The procedures leave a lifetime of physical suffering for the women.
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