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NAIROBI, February 6, 2004 (Reuters) – Human rights group Amnesty International has appealed to African countries to outlaw female genital mutilation, to protect two million girls it says are at risk each year.
Amnesty said the practice -- also known as female circumcision -- continued in 28 African states as well as in Indonesia and Yemen, and was becoming more common in Europe, Australia, and North America, mainly among immigrants from those countries.
"Governments are responsible for protecting women and girls' physical and mental integrity," Amnesty said in a statement on Friday marking a "day of zero tolerance" of the practice.
"Moving against female genital mutilation should be part of a comprehensive approach to protect women from violence and assert their equal status in society."
Amnesty urged African governments to comply with the terms of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.
Only 14 African states have outlawed the practice, which involves cutting the clitoris and other genitalia, sometimes by a doctor but often in more rural societies by a relative or traditional healer.
In many communities the tradition is a rite of passage from girlhood to womanhood. Supporters say it also reduces the sex drive, limiting promiscuity.
In some countries, such as Somalia, more than 90 percent of women are estimated to have been circumcised.
Among the associated health risks are infertility, urinary tract and pelvic infections, pain during intercourse and complications in pregnancy and birth.
Many governments that allow it say bans would simply push mutilation underground, putting girls at increased risk from unsafe conditions or unskilled practitioners.
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