200 million women and girls live with female genital mutilation, says U.N.
(CNN) – They covered her face and laid her down. And what happened next, Agnes wishes no girl would ever experience.
“They grabbed my legs and arms,” she said. “They excised me. Blood was coming out.” Her genitals had been mutilated. She was 14 years old.
Agnes underwent the procedure in Cote D’Ivoire. But the practice is by no means limited to that one country, or even to just a few. At least 200 million women and girls in 30 countries now live with female genital mutilation, according to a new UNICEF report published in time for Saturday’s International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM, as the practice is often abbreviated.
