By AFPMore by this AuthorThe widely condemned practice of ceremonial genital mutilation among girls and young women follows an evolutionary logic, according to a provocative study published Monday. Comparing 47 ethnic groups across five countries in west Africa, they found that in those where female genital cutting was the norm, survival rates were higher among children born to women who had been cut. Howard and colleague Mhairi Gibson undertook the study to look for clues as to why well-funded, high-profile campaigns to halt genital cutting have mostly failed. "Female genital cutting seems to increase women's reproductive success," she wrote in a commentary, also in Nature Ecology & Evolution. "Nonetheless, understanding female genital cutting in these terms points to a new target for intervention: the cost-benefit balance."

Source: Daily Nation February 07, 2017 10:03 UTC