Unicef calls on Egypt to ban Female Circumcision

The UN children's fund on Monday called for pressure to be maintained to stop female circumcision in Egypt, where more than three quarters of 15 to 17 year-old girls are subjected to the practice.

"Egypt is one of the few countries in the Middle East where excision is a problem, with a level of 77 percent of young girls between 15 and 17 years and around 60 percent among girls under the age of three," said Ernon Manoncourt, UNICEF's representative in Egypt, quoting 2005 data.