“In Kenya and the United Republic of Tanzania, for example, women aged 45-49 are approximately three times more likely to have been cut than girls aged 15-19,” said the report.
Prevalence of genital cutting among teenage girls has dropped by about half in Benin, the Central African Republic, Iraq, Liberia and Nigeria.
In parts of Ghana, 60 percent of women in their 40s have undergone cutting, compared to 16 percent of teenagers.
In Togo, 28 percent of older women have been cut, compared to three percent of girls 15-19.
However, there was “no discernible decline in countries such as Chad, Gambia, Mali, Senegal, Sudan or Yemen,” it said.
The report also found that even though the genital cutting is often considered a form of patriarchal control, there is a similar level of support among men and women for stopping it.
“Overall support for the practice is declining,” said the report.
“Social norms and expectations within communities of like minded individuals play a strong role in the perpetuation of the practice.”
UNICEF said it should be open to greater public scrutiny, and called for groups that still practice the ritual to be exposed more to those that do not.
“The challenge now is to let girls and women, boys and men speak out loudly and clearly and announce they want this harmful practice abandoned,” said Geeta Rao Gupta, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director.
Last year, the UN General Assembly adopted a non binding resolution to intensify global efforts to eliminate female genital mutilation.
About The Author
