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In a message to mark the recent World Day against Female Genital Mutilation, the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Africa office said the practice exposed women to irreversible health risks, including HIV/AIDS.
Female genital mutilation (FGM), or female circumcision or excision, is a deeply rooted cultural tradition intended to preserve a woman's chastity, and is usually performed with no anaesthesia.
The WHO called on African countries to recognise FGM as a violation of women's rights, saying that over 100 million women in the continent were victims of the practice.
In an interview with Agence France-Presse (AFP), Malick Samba, the head of the Brazzaville-based WHO regional office, said: "Female genital mutilation has serious and often irreversible consequences on the health and survival of girls and women. These can include haemorrhage, difficulties urinating and giving birth, as well as infections like HIV/AIDS."
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions