Call for global recognition of FGM as a denial of girls’ and women’s ability to fully exercise their human rights.

 Female genital mutilation (FGM) comprises all procedures that involve the partial or total removal of external genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons; the procedure has no health benefits. Moreover, the removal of or damage to healthy genital tissue interferes with the natural functioning of the body and may cause several immediate and long-term health consequences (2–7). In addition, FGM violates a series of well established human rights principles, including the principles of equality and nondiscrimination based on sex, the right to life (when the procedure results in death), and the right to freedom from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, as well as the rights of the child to physical and mental integrity. It is estimated that over 230 million women and girls from 31 countries are living with the effects of FGM. There is evidence of health workers performing the practice (i.e. medicalized FGM), with the most recent estimates indicating that some 52 million women and girls alive today were subjected to FGM by a health worker and that rates of medicalized FGM are on the rise. FGM reflects deep-rooted sociocultural beliefs and inequality between the sexes, making its complete abandonment challenging. As such, efforts to prevent and thus eventually end FGM worldwide must be strengthened, while ensuring that the health and psychosocial consequences are addressed. The United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Formsof Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the United Nations Convention on the Rightsof the Child (CRC) called for an end to the practice, calling on Member States that are party to those agreements to comply with their obligations to respect, protect and fulfil the rights of women and girls and to take action to ensure that women and girls can live free from harmful practices, such as FGM. The World Health Assembly and United Nations General Assembly issued resolutions in 2008 and 2012 respectively which call for global recognition of FGM as a denial of girls’ and women’s ability to fully exercise their human rights and to be free from discrimination and violence, and from cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. In 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) published the WHO guidelines on themanagement of health complications from female genital mutilation. That publication’s main purpose was to provide evidence-informed recommendations on managing health complications associated with FGM. The recommendations addressed topics considered critical by an international, multidisciplinary group of health workers, patient advocates implementing partners and other stakeholders. Additionally, the 2016 guidelines identified research gaps during the systematic review process, and described areas where further evidence would be valuable to inform future recommendations.