UNICEF / ZERO TOLERANCE FGM

The UN children’s fund (UNICEF) says that at least 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone female genital mutilation in 30 countries, according to a new statistical report published ahead of the United Nations’ International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation(6 February 2016).

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:00:49
• Production Date: 4 February 2016
• Asset Language: English
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS CHILDREN'S FUND - UNICEF
• Subject Topical: FEMALE CIRCUMCISION
• MAMS Id: 1558930
• Parent Id: 1558930
• Alternate Title: unifeed160204e

Description

STORY: UNICEF/ ZERO TOLERANCE FGM
TRT: 00:49
SOURCE: UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS: EMBARGOED 5 FEBRUARY 2015 00:01 GMT
LANGUAGE: NATS

DATELINE: FILE

Shotlist

SUDAN, 5-14 MAR 2010

1. Wide shot; women and children holding signs in Arabic on stage
2. Medium shot; women and children holding signs in Arabic on stage
3. Wide shot; audience looks toward the stage

SENEGAL, 23 JUN - 2 JUL 2009

5. Wide shot; women holding signs in French and dancing
6. Medium shot; woman claps along to dancing
7. Wide shot; women sit on a mat on the floor
8. Wide shot; women discuss issues while sitting on floor outside
9. Wide shot; women discuss issues while sitting on floor outside

SUDAN, 5-14 MAR 2010

11. Wide shot; women sit on floor outside
12. Wide shot; women sit and wait on chairs

Storyline

The UN children’s fund (UNICEF) says that at least 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone female genital mutilation in 30 countries, according to a new statistical report published ahead of the United Nations’ International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (6 February 2016).

The report notes that half of the girls and women who have been cut live in three countries - Egypt, Ethiopia and Indonesia - and refers to smaller studies and anecdotal accounts that provide evidence FGM is a global human rights issue affecting girls and women in every region of the world.

Female genital mutilation refers to a number of procedures. Regardless of which form is practiced, FGM is a violation of children’s rights.

According to the data, girls 14 and younger represent 44 million of those who have been cut, with the highest prevalence of FGM among this age in Gambia at 56 per cent, Mauritania 54 per cent and Indonesia where around half of girls aged 11 and younger have undergone the practice. Countries with the highest prevalence among girls and women aged 15 to 49 are Somalia 98 per cent, Guinea 97 per cent and Djibouti 93 per cent.

In most of the countries the majority of girls were cut before reaching their fifth birthdays.

The global figure in the FGM statistical report includes nearly 70 million more girls and women than estimated in 2014.This is due to population growth in some countries and nationally representative data collected by the Government of Indonesia.

As more data on the extent of FGM become available the estimate of the total number of girls and women who have undergone the practice increases. As of 2016 30 countries have nationally representative data on the practice.

Since 2008, more than 15,000 communities and sub-districts in 20 countries have publicly declared that they are abandoning FGM, including more than 2,000 communities last year. Five countries have passed national legislation criminalizing the practice.