UN hails drop in female genital mutilation Figures that reveal
that fewer girls in Africa and the Middle East are being
subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM) show it is possible
to end the practice, the UN has said. FGM, which typically
involves removing the clitoris, can lead to bleeding, infections
and childbirth problems. The UN data said it was particularly in
decline amongst the young in Kenya. Kenyan women aged between 45
and 49 are three times more likely to have been cut than girls
aged 15-19, it said. In some communities female genital
mutilation, also known as female circumcision, is seen as a
traditional rite of passage and is used culturally to ensure
virginity and to make a woman marriageable. In December, the UN
General Assembly unanimously approved a non-binding resolution
calling for all member states to ban the practice. The data,
released by the UN children's charity and UN population fund on
the international day calling for an end to FMG, showed that the
younger generation was less