On the occasion of February 6, declared International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, at the 2012 United Nations General Assembly, we take stock of these practices which can lead to very serious health complications and even cause death.
According to the WHO, more than 200 million girls and women have been victims of genital mutilation. Excision consists in removing with a sharp device the clitoris, the labia minora, and sometimes the labia majora.
