Over 19.9m Nigerian girls victims of female genital mutilation — UNICEF
United Nations Children's Education Fund, UNICEF, has raised the alarm over the alarming cases of Female Genital Mutilation, FGM, saying no fewer than 19.9 million Nigerian girls have undergone the mutilation. UNICEF Country Representative, Christiane Mundaute, disclosed this, yesterday, in Ilorin, at a programme it organised in collaboration with the office of the Kwara State First Lady on 'Zero Tolerance for FGM'. According to Mundaute: "As we gather here today, more than 200 million girls and women worldwide have undergone female genital mutilation. Nigeria accounts for 10 percent of this figure, estimated at 19.9 million. This means that Nigeria holds the third-highest number of women and girls who have undergone female genital mutilation around the world. Despite a slight decrease in prevalence of FGM in the country, recent data show the practice remains widespread. Here in Kwara, FGM prevalence is highest among women aged 15 and 49, reaching 58 percent. For the...