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The UK Government and UNICEF are hosting the first-ever Girl Summit to rally support for a campaign to accelerate efforts to end female genital mutilation (FGM) and child marriage � two practices currently affecting millions of girls across the globe. UNICEF data released today show that rates of progress need to be scaled up dramatically in the countries where the practices are most common. �FGM and child marriage profoundly and permanently harm girls, denying them their right to make their own decisions and to reach their full potential. They are detriments to the girls themselves, their families, and their societies,� said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake. �Girls are not property; they have the right to determine their destiny. When they do so, everyone benefits,� he added. More than 130 million girls and women have experienced some form of FGM in the 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East where the harmful practice is most common. Beyond extreme physical and psychological pain, girls who undergo FGM are at risk of prolonged bleeding, infection, infertility and death. Child marriage is even more widespread and can lead to a lifetime of disadvantage and deprivation. Worldwide, more than 700 million women alive today were married as children. More than one in three � or some 250 million � were married before 15. A host of celebrities including Jennifer Hudson, Cat Deeley, Stephen Fry, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Melinda Gates and Dawn O�Porter have all shown their support for the campaign.