The United Nations called for faster action against female genital mutilation on Monday, noting that nearly 200 million girls and women have undergone some form of female genital mutilation and cutting in the world.

"Female genital mutilation denies women and girls their dignity, endangers their health, and causes needless pain and suffering, with consequences that endure for a lifetime and can even be fatal," said the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a message to mark the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation.

Guterres stressed that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development promises an end to this practice by 2030 and called for positive momentum and commitment to intensifying global action against "this heinous human rights violation."

According to the UN, almost 200 million girls and women have undergone some form of female genital mutilation and cutting. Somalia, Guinea and Djibouti are among countries with the highest prevalence among girls and women aged 15 to 49.

In 2016, more than 2,900 communities, representing more than 8.4 million people living in countries where the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) work jointly to end the practice declared they had abandoned the cutting, according to the two UN bodies.

In a joint statement, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin and Executive Director of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) Anthony Lake said that in 2017, we must demand faster action against that practice and call on governments to enact and enforce laws and policies that protect the rights of girls and women.

source: Xinhua