The Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Nigeria, Ulla Mueller, has called for an end to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), saying the practice is a violation of the human rights of girl children.

Mueller told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday that the act had been practised in many communities, especially the South-East, South-South and South-West.

FGM refers to all procedures involving partial or total removal of the female external genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.

Critics of the practice said it is embedded in ignorance and misrepresentation of culture.

Mueller, who described the practice as the height of gender discrimination, added that such harmful practice could stifle women’s potential to live life to the fullest.

She said, “FGM is a violation of girls’ and women’s human right to choices; it can affect the vision and dreams for a greater future.”

It is estimated that some 200 million girls and women globally have undergone some form of female genital mutilation.

UNFPA estimates that 68 million girls are at risk of being mutilated between 2015 and 2030 globally.