A majority of people in 29 countries including Cameroon oppose the practice.

A new report published by the United Nations Children Fund, UNICEF, on Monday July 22, 2013, reveals that a majority of people in most countries where female genital mutilation, FGM, is concentrated, now oppose the harmful practice which has affected more than 125 million girls and women alive today.

Published in Washington DC in the United States of America (USA), the report titled “Female Genital Mutilation: A statistical overview and exploration of the dynamics of change” has been described as the most comprehensive compilation of data and analysis on the issue to date. Surveys in 29 countries found in the Middle East and Africa, including Cameroon, where FGM persists, show that girls are less likely to be cut than they were some 30 years ago, and that support for the practice is in decline, even in countries where it remains almost universal, such as Egypt and Sudan. In Cameroon, a vigorous campaign by government and civil society has scored successes. Religious and traditional authorities have joined the cause.

However, the report notes that while FGM has been virtually abandoned by certain groups and countries, it remains entrenched in many others, despite the health dangers it presents to girls. Despite falling support, over 30 million girls in the world remain in considerable danger and are still at risk of being cut in the next decade, the report warns.

While the report welcomes legislation against FGM that has been introduced in the vast majority of countries where it is practised, it calls for measures that complement legislation and leverage “positive social dynamics” to bring about a change in social norms.

“FGM is a violation of a girl’s rights to health, well-being and self-determination,” says Ms Geeta Rao Gupta, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director in the press release in which UNICEF also announces for 31 July 2013, the unveiling of a global initiative, “End Violence Against Children”, calling for an end to all forms of violence against children. UNICEF sources say the initiative is just another step by UNICEF which works in more than 190 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence.