In the region, the practice of Female Genital Cutting (FGC) is most commonly practiced in Indonesia and traditionally practiced by eight ethnic groups within the country. It is also prevalent among the Bohra Muslim communities in Pakistan and India. Honour killings are common in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Young women and girls who express the desire to marry someone of their own choosing and to further their education become victims of honour killings.
The ICPD PoA called for the total elimination of FGC, the practice of partial or total removal of the female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. There are an estimated 130–140 million girls and women who have been subjected to this practice and 3 million girls are at risk of it every year. Most women who have experienced FGC live in one of the 28 countries in Africa and the Middle East – nearly half of them in just two countries: Egypt and Ethiopia.
