We can end FGM in a generation

All girls are entitled to live a life free from fear and violence. Yet today, that right remains unfulfilled for millions: In every country, girls continue to live within the confines of harmful gender norms and stereotypes which deny them their fundamental rights.

My country, Mali, is no exception. Female genital mutilation is still a common practice that affects around 85 percent of girls and women between 15 and 49. We cannot accept this: FGM is major violation of a girl’s rights and a brutal manifestation of the violence and discrimination to which girls and women the world over are subjected. It has no justification and must be stopped.

But how can we overcome a practice which is so deeply rooted in the social, religious and cultural traditions of the countries and communities where it is carried out?