GENEVA, June 2 (Xinhua) -- Female genital mutilation (FGM) should be abandoned as it violates human rights and have adverse health consequences, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.
The Geneva-based organization said FGM is still a common practice in a number of countries, predominantly in Africa.
It involves partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other deliberate injury to the female genital organs whether for cultural or non-therapeutic reasons.
Although practices vary from country to country, FGM is generally performed on girls under 10 years of age and leads to varying amounts of scar formation.
"FGM remains a pressing human rights issue and reliable evidence regarding its harmful effects, both for mothers and their babies, should contribute to the abandonment of the practice," the WHO said.
According to a new study issued by the WHO, women who have had FGM are significantly more likely to experience difficulties during childbirth and that their babies are more likely to die as a result of the practice.
Serious complications during childbirth include the need to have a caesarean section, dangerously heavy bleeding after the birth of the baby and prolonged hospitalization following the birth.
The study showed that women who have been subjected to the most serious form of FGM will have on average 30 percent more caesarean sections compared with those who have not had any FGM.
Similarly, there is a 70 percent increase in numbers of women who suffer from postpartum haemorrhage in those with the serious form of FGM compared to those women without FGM.
The study also found that FGM puts the women's babies in substantial danger during childbirth. There is an increased need to resuscitate babies whose mother has had FGM.
The death rate among babies during and immediately after birth is also much higher for those born to mothers with FGM.
The study involved 28,393 women at 28 obstetric centers in six countries -- Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal and Sudan -- where FGM is common.
"These findings are of great importance for countries," said Professor Saad M El Fadil, the study's principal investigator in Sudan.
He said for the first time the study gave clear evidence of FGM' s harmful effects for women and babies.
It is not entirely clear why FGM leads to increased complications during childbirth, but one possible explanation is that the scar tissue caused by FGM is relatively inelastic and can lead to obstruction and tearing of the issues around the vagina during childbirth.
Obstruction can lead to prolonged labor, which increases the risk of caesarean section, heavy bleeding, distress in the infant and stillbirth. Enditem
