AKTUELLES - Seite 25

Any views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation. Despite progress towards abolishing this violent practice, millions of girls will undergo FGM this year. It irreparably damages girls‘ bodies, inflicting excruciating pain. It causes extreme emotional trauma that can last a lifetime. It increases the risk of deadly complications during pregnancy, labor and childbirth, endangering both mother and child. It robs girls of their autonomy and violates their human rights. It reflects the low status of girls and women and reinforces gender inequality, fueling intergenerational cycles of discrimination and harm. It is female genital mutilation. And despite all the progress we have made toward abolishing this violent practice, millions of girls — many of them under the age of 15 — will be forced to undergo it this year alone. Sadly, they will join the almost 200 million girls and women around the world who are already living with the damage FGM causes – and whose communities are already affected by its impact. More: Thomson Reuters Foundation