Plan International - Girls' Rights Platform - Girls' rights are human rights: Positioning girls at the heart of the international agenda

Reaffirming that female genital mutilation is a form of discrimination, an act of violence against women and girls and a harmful practice that constitutes a serious threat to their health, including their psychological, sexual and reproductive health, which can increase their vulnerability to HIV and may have adverse obstetric and prenatal outcomes as well as fatal consequences for the mother and the newborn, and that the abandonment of this harmful practice can be achieved as a result of a comprehensive movement that involves all public and private stakeholders in society, including girls and boys, women and men,

Reaffirming that harmful traditional or customary practices, including female genital mutilation, constitute a serious threat to the health of women and girls, including their psychological, sexual and reproductive health, which can increase their vulnerability to HIV and may have adverse obstetric and prenatal outcomes as well as fatal consequences, and that the abandonment of this harmful practice can be achieved only as a result of a comprehensive movement that involves all public and private stakeholders in society, including men, women and girls,

Concerned further that women and girls are physiologically more vulnerable to HIV, especially at an earlier age, than men and boys, and that this is increased by violence against women, girls and adolescents, sexual exploitation, including commercial sexual exploitation, premature and coerced sexual relations, harmful practices, such as child, early and force marriage, female genital mutilation, as well as an imbalance in the power dynamic between women and men, and unequal legal, economic and social status, including poverty,

Reaffirming that female genital mutilation is a harmful practice and an act of violence against women and girls that impairs their human rights, constituting a serious threat to their health and well-being, including their psychological, sexual and reproductive health, increasing their vulnerability to HIV and possibly having adverse obstetric and prenatal outcomes, as well as fatal consequences for the mother and the newborn, and that the abandonment of this harmful practice can be achieved as a result of a comprehensive movement that involves all public and private stakeholders in society, including girls, boys, women and men,

Noting with concern that in some areas of the world men outnumber women as a result, in part, of harmful attitudes and practices, such as female genital mutilation, son preference, which results in female infanticide and prenatal sex selection, early marriage, including child marriage, violence against women, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and discrimination against girls in food allocation and in other practices related to health and well-being, resulting in fewer girls than boys surviving into adulthood,

Noting with concern that, in some parts of the world, men outnumber women as a result, in part, of harmful attitudes and practices, such as female genital mutilation, son preference, which results in female infanticide and prenatal sex selection, early marriage, including child marriage, violence against women, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and discrimination against girls in food allocation and in other practices related to health and well-being, with the result that fewer girls than boys survive into adulthood,

Reaffirming that female genital mutilations are a harmful practice that constitutes a serious threat to the health of women and girls, including their psychological, sexual and reproductive health, which can increase their vulnerability to HIV and may have adverse obstetric and prenatal outcomes as well as fatal consequences for the mother and the newborn, and that the abandonment of this harmful practice can be achieved as a result of a comprehensive movement that involves all public and private stakeholders in society, including girls and boys, women and men,

Reaffirming that female genital mutilation is a harmful practice, constituting a serious threat to the health of women and girls, including their physical, mental, sexual and reproductive health, increasing their vulnerability to HIV, as well as hepatitis A and B, and possibly having adverse obstetric and prenatal outcomes, as well as fatal consequences for the mother and the newborn, and that the elimination of this harmful practice can be achieved as a result of a comprehensive movement that involves all public and private stakeholders in society, including girls and boys, women and men,

Reaffirming that female genital mutilations are a harmful practice, constituting a serious threat to the health of women and girls, including their psychological, sexual and reproductive health, increasing their vulnerability to HIV and possibly having adverse obstetric and prenatal outcomes, as well as fatal consequences for the mother and the newborn, and that the abandonment of this harmful practice can be achieved as a result of a comprehensive movement that involves all public and private stakeholders in society, including girls and boys, women and men,

Recognizing further men and boys as strategic partners and allies and that their meaningful engagement can contribute to transforming discriminatory social norms that perpetuate child, early and forced marriage, ending this practice and achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls,

Stressing that men and boys play an important role in the acceleration of progress in preventing and eliminating harmful practices such as female genital mutilation by being agents of change,