International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is just one of the threats Ethiopian women face at the hands of their intimate male partners, it has been claimed.

According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the country has one of the highest rates of both sexual and physical violence against women in the world.

The organisation says that societal abuse of young girls continues to be a problem, with FGM, rape, battery, child marriage all commonplace.

UNFPA explains that in many cases, abduction is used as a means of contracting marriage and wife inheritance.

"In some places a woman is considered the property of the family into which she marries, and if her partner dies, she is expected to wed a male relative," it added.

Article 35 of the Federal Constitution prohibits laws, cultures and practices that oppress or cause bodily or mental harm to women, but in many communities, significant threats to health and even life continue to be faced.

Last month, VOA News reported that more than 100 million women around the world have suffered FGM.

Posted by Carla Mackenzie