2023-08-19 10:30:23
The female genital mutilation (FGM) It is one of the main causes of death in the African countries where it is practiced, with more than 44,000 women and girls dying annually, a specialized magazine reported this Friday, according to a study carried out by researchers from the universities of Birmingham and Exeter, in the United Kingdom.
Data published in Nature Scientific Reports, FGM is responsible for more deaths in Africa than any other causeusually due to consumption of contaminated food or water, respiratory infections or malaria.
The study indicates that female genital mutilation is legal in five of the 28 African nations where it is most practiced.
The specialists analyzed the number of girls subjected to the MGF in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Tanzania.
The experts called for outlawing this practice in Mali, Malawi, Chad, Sierra Leone and Liberiasince they consider that legal change can lead to a cultural transformation.
“Our findings show that FGM is one of the leading causes of death among girls and young women in countries where it is practiced, but lasting change requires a change in attitude in these communities,” said James Rockey, a professor at the University of Birmingham and co-author of the study.
According to experts worldwide more than 200 million women and girls have undergone FGM, which often occurs in unsanitary conditions and without clinical supervision, causing intense pain, bleeding and infection.
This has led to obstetric complications, reduced sexual function and other long-term physical and mental health problemsthe specialists pointed out.
Latin Press
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