Female Genital Mutilation: A Violation of the Human Rights of Girls and Women a Call for Concrete Policies and Renewed Actions

Female genital mutilation, also known as ‘female genital cutting’ or ‘female circumcision’, refers to “all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs whether for cultural, religious or other non-therapeutic reasons” [1]. Despite more than 25 years of efforts to curtail the practice of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C), it still remains as a deeply rooted tradition in more than 29 countries of Africa and in some countries of Asia and the Middle East [2]. It has been widely practiced among certain immigrant communities in North America and Europe too [1]. It has been estimated that nearly 30 million girls are at the risk every year [2]. The FMG/C is mostly performed for the girls below 15 years of age. The main objective of this editorial is to generate the awareness and understanding on FGM/C as a human right and public health concern and this communication can serve as a base-line for the design and implementation of appropriate policies and programmes, to eliminate this harmful practice in the future and make the world safer for women and girls.