Hyderabad: The International Day of Zero Tolerance for female genital mutilation (FGM), observed annually on 6 February, provides an opportunity for all stakeholders involved in ending FGM to celebrate achievements, advocate for abandonment of the practice and raise awareness
International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation 2024 will be observed on the theme 'Her voice, Her future'. In 2012, the UN General Assembly designated February 6 as the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, with the aim to amplify and direct the efforts on the elimination of this practice.
The day provides the opportunity for Governments, Member States, civil society organizations, development partners, activists, and other relevant stakeholders to raise awareness, renew commitments and reiterate that female genital mutilation is an unacceptable harmful practice and a violation of women and girls’ basic human rights.
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) or female circumcision can have many serious side effects, which can not only cause lifelong problems for them but sometimes also lead to AIDS, infertility and other reproductive problems. Not only this, sometimes unsafe circumcision can also cause loss of life in women. To end this barbaric practice among women in the name of religion and traditions, February 6 is celebrated every year as “International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation” by UNICEF, WHO and many partner organizations.
What is Female Genital Mutilation? In Female Genital Mutilation or circumcision in women, the part of their vagina called clitoris is removed with a blade. In some communities, the vagina of women is stitched after removing some parts of the clitoris, while in some the clitoris is completely removed.
It is noteworthy that this process is mostly done between birth and 15 years of age. This is an extremely painful and an unsafe procedure because usually the girls are not made unconscious during this procedure and in most of the cases, hygiene or other types of safety are not taken care of much in this procedure.
According to the information available on the UNICEF website, genital mutilation increases the risk of many serious problems in women. Like most circumcisions are done in groups, many girls are circumcised with the same razor. Due to which, apart from vaginal infection, the risk of diseases like infertility and HIV AIDS increases.
Apart from this, sometimes some girls die due to excessive bleeding during circumcision. Not only this, many times the patients also become victims of mental disorders like depression, trauma and post traumatic disorder due to this painful process.
