Female genital mutilation must be rejected as a tradition, as it disregards the dignity of women, Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz said on Thursday.

"This practice is justified in any religion and must be rejected as a tradition," the foreign minister noted on the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation, emphasizing the practice disregards not only the dignity of women, but also affects their lives.

Austria has been against female genital mutilation for years. For example, a National Action Plan for the prevention and elimination of female genital mutilation in Austria has been established.

The Austrian Development Cooperation has combat female genital mutilation in Africa for many years in cooperation with the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), also through non-governmental organizations.

According to estimation, 125 million girls and women worldwide are affected by these deformities, which lead to a variety of acute complications and to massive long-term consequences.