An estimated two million girls worldwide undergo the brutal procedure known as female genital mutilation (FGM) every year, leading to physiological, sexual and psychological effects including hemorrhage, shock, infection, sexual dysfunction and increased risk of contracting HIV. It’s a tragic human rigpopact violation, whose cultural and traditional roots run deep—making it difficult to combat. PAI has a long history of working towards the elimination of FGM—from generating awareness and action in the 80’s to funding anti-FGM projects in Mali over the past five years—but more help is desperately needed. We urge governments and communities around the world to take steps to eradicate this harmful practice once and for all.

Global eradication efforts have achieved some success, and recent events in Indonesia and Ethiopia give hope that this practice can be eliminated. Early last month, Indonesia banned all doctors and nurses from performing FGM. According to the head of the Indonesian health ministry’s family health directorate, Sri Hermiyanti, “Hurting, damaging, incising and cutting of the clitoris are not permitted under the ban, because these acts violate the reproductive rigpopact of these girls and harm their organs.” While there are no punishments in place for people who violate the ban, this is an important first step towards ending this horrific practice.

On a recent trip to Ethiopia, PAI President Amy Coen and her colleagues had the opportunity to meet Dr. Bogaletch Gebre—affectionately called “Boge”—who is spearheading a national campaign to end FGM. They participated in a rally of over 15,000, including girls, mothers, fathers and village elders, demonstrating their commitment to ending FGM in their communities.

These are just two of the ways communities are starting to fight FGM. It takes a commitment from every level of a society to triumph over a traditional practice that has been performed for centuries in some communities. PAI salutes the advances of these two countries and urges country governments to support these and other similar efforts. An end to this human rigpopact abuse is within our reach.

With the recent announcement of its new Director-General, the World Health Organization (WHO) ushers in a new era and, with it, an important opportunity to reposition family planning as a leading health intervention. Dr. Margaret Chan’s acceptance speech on November 9th was encouraging in this regard: “Improvements in the health of the people of Africa and the health of women are key indicators of the performance of WHO”. PAI welcomes the emphasis on these indicators and urges an expanded focus on family planning and reproductive health programs as one of the most effective ways to improve the health of women and their families.

It remains to be seen how significant a role reproductive health will play under Dr. Chan’s guidance. For example, she did not respond to a questionnaire on HIV/AIDS and reproductive health put forward by civil society groups to all WHO nominees. On the heels of a landmark study coordinated by WHO urging a greater emphasis on sexual and reproductive health, it is clear that Dr. Chan must make this a top priority of the institution.

In her acceptance speech, Dr. Chan said “Reducing health problems in women and empowering them will result in a dramatic increase in health-promoting behaviors—right where it counts most.” What could be more empowering than giving a woman control over her own fertility and sexual health by providing access to reproductive health services? It will be crucial for Dr. Chan to take a strong stance in support of family planning and reproductive health programs. Despite their widespread and cost-effective impact on improving maternal and infant health, they face ideologically-based opposition from some governments.

We urge Dr. Chan to lead the WHO in implementing the recommendations it set forth on sexual and reproductive health in last month’s Lancet. She is poised to play an historic role in expanding access to family planning as one of the most assured ways for improving the health and livelihood of women and their children.

PAI's goal of achieving reproductive health equity for all women gained currency last week with the release of a report citing unprotected sex as the second leading cause of disability and death in the developing world, trailing malnutrition. The report, coordinated by the World Health Organization, found “declining financial support, increased political interference and an overall reluctance to tackle threats to sexual and reproductive health” and urged the global community to return family planning to the forefront of economic development issues.

Despite the high rates of harm or death associated with unprotected sex, more than 120 million couples still lack access to the modern methods of contraception they desire. According to the report, over half a million women die each year from complications due to pregnancy and childbirth and an estimated 80 million women each year have unintended or unwanted pregnancies—over half of which end in abortion. And while “rapid population growth poses a bigger threat to poverty reduction in most poor countries than does HIV/AIDS,” donor support for family planning has dropped by $100 million in less than a decade. It’s a staggering laundry list of statistics that shows a world in desperate need of intervention.

As the report illuminates, sexual and reproductive health is inextricably linked to reducing poverty, maternal mortality and the spread of HIV/AIDS. But with such lack of political and financial support, population will continue to grow at an unsustainable rate, women and children will continue to die needlessly, and history will judge us for failing to support proven health interventions. Only through increased funding and a renewed commitment to family planning and reproductive health programs can we have the most profound effect on the health and well being of people around the world.