The Economic and Social Council , following a recommendation by the Commission on the Status of Women , adopted a resolution on the same lines ( 445 C ( XIV ) ) , which is aimed at the progressive abolition of customs which violate the `` physical integrity of women , and which thereby violate the dignity and worth of the human person , as proclaimed in the Charter and in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights '' . The issue has received more sustained attention since the 1980s both at the global level -- joint action by the World Health Organization ( WHO ) , the United Nations Children 's Fund ( UNICEF ) and the United Nations Population Fund ( UNFPA ) -- and at the regional level .