Eighty-six million young girls may experience Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) globally by 2030, if actions are not taking to prevent it, the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) has said.
The confederation made the disclosure on Tuesday in its Twitter handle- @world_midwives, to mark the 2018 International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that ICM supports, represents and works to strengthen professional associations of midwives globally.
“If current prevalence of FGM remains unchanged by 2030, another 86 million young girls are likely to experience some form of it,” the group said.
It called for the support of midwives in curbing the practice.
“Midwives can help to protect the rights of these girls by educating their families that it is an abuse,” the confederation said.
In another tweet, the ICM discouraged midwives from participating in the act, saying, “it is not a midwifery practice.
“FGM is mostly carried out by members of the community- sometimes family members, cultural or religious leaders or even health professionals.
“It is not a component of midwifery practice and should never be facilitated or done by a midwife.”
The ICM President, Franka Cadee, however, pledged the support of midwives to the wellbeing of girls and women.
“This day is about ending silence. We, as midwives, pledge to continue to place the wellbeing of girls and women at the core of our work,” she said. (NAN)