230M women have undergone female genital mutilation, UNICEF reports

March 8 (UPI) -- More than 230 million women and girls alive today have suffered from female genital mutilation, according to a UNICEF report released Thursday.

The report, released in observance of International Women's Day, noted a 15% increase -- about 30 million women -- compared to data from 2016.

More than 144 million cases occurred in African countries, the largest share according to the report. There also have been more than 80 million in Asia and more than six million in the Middle East.

According to UNICEF, the global pace of decline would have to be 27 times faster to end the practice by 2030.

"Female genital mutilation harms girls' bodies, dims their futures and endangers their lives," UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement. "We're also seeing a worrying trend that more girls are subjected to the practice at younger ages, many before their fifth birthday. That further reduces the window to intervene. We need to strengthen the efforts of ending this harmful practice."

While FGM is not becoming more common on a global scale, the number of girls born in countries where FGB is common is growing rapidly compared to the rest of the world, according to the report.

Progress in some countries, however, is strong, the report noted. Sierra Leone saw a 34% decline in the practice compared to 30 years ago. Egypt had a 27% decline during that same time period.

The report also found attitudes around FGM are shifting, as two-thirds of people -- around 400 million -- in practicing countries in Africa and the Middle East are opposed to FGM.

A British jury in 2019 convicted a mother for committing female genital mutilation, the first case since the United Kingdom outlawed the practice in 1985.

The mother, originally from Uganda and living in Britain for several years, was found guilty of committing FGM on her 3-year-old daughter. The practice is outlawed in Uganda.

In 2018, a U.S. federal judge in Michigan dismissed charges against Dr. Jumana Nagarwala, who was accused of carrying out the banned procedure on nine girls between the ages of 8 and 13.

U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman ruled that a federal law banning FGM was unconstitutional and that the practice is a "local criminal activity" that should be addressed by the states.

Then-Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder had declared FGM a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison.