Excerpt:
Britain has pledged up to £35 million ($52 million) to help eliminate female genital mutilation (FGM) in a generation - the largest single donor contribution to target the brutal practice.
"It is time to break the taboo on genital mutilation. For too long the international community has been cowardly on this subject, finding it too difficult to tackle," said Britain's international development minister Lynne Featherstone.
"My aim is to ensure that very soon FGM is as outdated a practice as foot-binding."