NEW YORK, MARCH 13 – “Our girls are born complete. No tradition should be allowed to take away their fundamental rights,” said Dereje Wordofa, UNFPA Deputy Executive Director at a side event today on scaling up action to end female genital mutilation and other harmful practices for women and girl.
At least 200 millions girls and women alive today have undergone female genital mutilation and 650 million girls and women were married as children. To protect their human rights and reach SDG 5.3, Italy’s Laura Menicucci today confirmed the Italian government support for the UNFPA and UNICEF Joint Program to end FGM once and for all.
The event “Accelerating the Elimination of Harmful Practices to Reap the Demographic Dividend in Africa” was co-organized by Italy with Burkina Faso, Canada, Zambia, UNICEF, UNFPA and UN WOMEN in conjuntion with the 63rd Commission on the Status of Women. “The fight against all forms of violence against women, especially against harmful practices such as female mutilation and early and forced marriages is among Italy’s top priorities in the frame of its actions for the protection and promotion of human rights across the globe, Menicucci said. (@OnuItalia)