United Nations agencies on Wednesday called on countries to accelerate efforts to eliminate female genital mutilation.
The life-threatening practice is concentrated in 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East, including South Sudan, and 36 per cent of girls between the ages of 15 and 29 have been cut compared to an estimated 53 per cent of women between 45 and 49, the UN reported.
The latest data was released by the UN Children’s Fund and the UN Population Fund to mark the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation, observed on Wednesday.
The decline was particularly sharp in Kenya.
UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake said this progress shows it is possible to end Female Genital Mutilation.
She added the practice is deeply wrong and it must end it to help millions of girls and women lead healthier lives.