NAIROBI, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations on Friday called on African governments to resort to innovative ways of gathering data on female genital mutilation (FGM).

Ademola Olajide, representative of UN Population Fund (UNFPA) to Kenya, said the current data gathering through demographic survey is no longer accurate enough as some people do not give the correct situation.

"FGM has continued to evolve in the continent, hence the need to adopt new approaches that could allow surveys to be done on a daily basis to be able to get up to date data," Olajide said during the launch of Kenya's anti-FGM strategic documents in Nairobi.

Margaret Kobia, Kenya's cabinet secretary for Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs, said that Kenya is developing a national policy on eradication of FGM that will be launched in February next year.

"All stakeholders will be expected to use the new policy to intensify campaigns against FGM in the country," Kobia said.

She said that according to the Kenya national demographic and health survey of 2014, the national prevalence of FGM remains high at 21 percent.

According to Kobia, its estimated that more than 9.3 million girls have undergone the cut and are living with the negative effects of the cut in the country.

"We are forced to re-strategize to eliminate the vice since more women and girls are at the risk of undergoing the cut due to cultural and religious pressure," she added.

Besides being one of the worst forms of gender-based violence and the worst form of human rights violation, the practice violates Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 which advocates for "good health and well-being" for all.

Kobia said that FGM has to be fought as it is common knowledge that it adversely affects women's health, especially during child birth, leading to medical complications such as fistula. Enditem

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