Somalia’s prime minister has publicly backed a campaign to ban female genital mutilation (FGM) in his country.
It is currently against the constitution but parliament has not yet passed a bill outlawing the practice.
Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke has joined more than a million others by signing an online petition calling for a comprehensive ban.
The UN children’s agency, Unicef, estimates that more than 90% of Somali girls undergo FGM.
It says that it is mainly performed on four to 11-year-olds and can have a long-lasting impact on the girls’ physical and mental health.
Somali anti-FGM campaigner Ifrah Ahmed told the BBC that she had persuaded Mr Sharmarke to sign the petition organised by online campaign group Avaaz.
She said that it was a significant move as many people in Somalia do not openly speak about the issue.