International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

More than 100 million women in Africa have suffered female genital mutilation, it has been reported.

According to VOA News, the painful and highly dangerous practice involves the removal of all or part of the female genitalia.

The remaining flesh is sometimes stitched closed in a practice called infibulation, the news provider added.

This leaves only a very small opening for urination and menstruation, it explained, making both intercourse and childbirth extremely hazardous.

Female genital mutilation can cause immediate hemorrhaging and death, or a lifetime of pain, disability and severe emotional problems.

According to Chantal Compoare, the first lady of Burkina Faso, cooperation between African nations is needed to eliminate the practice.

She told delegates at a conference in the Ouagadougou that female genital mutilation has been tolerated by some countries for too long, adding that this can no longer continue.

Posted by Carla Mackenzie