The World Health Organization says, Female Genital Mutilation - the practice of removing partial or total removal of the external genital organs in females increases the risk of complications during childbirth and infant mortality.

According to BBC reports quoting the WHO, the practice which is most common in sub-Saharan Africa to maintain a "girl's honor" is more likely to promote higher instances of Cesareans, while other statistics show the death rate among their babies is up to 50% higher

A UN study published on Saturday by The Lancet reveals that female genital mutilation (FGM) greatly increases the risk of complications at childbirth.

FGM involves partial or total removal of the clitoris or other external genitalia, and is a well-established tradition several African countries

Fifty women die during pregnancy or in childbirth every day in Bangladesh, a local news paper reported.

Bangladesh's government has planned to cut down on the maternal mortality rate, from 20,000 to 5,000 a year over a decade as it renewed its commitment to such mortality reduction by 75 percent by 2015 to achieve the Millennium Development Goals

Bangladesh has attained progress in some sectors, but it still has many challenges to address in the health sector to become an advanced country, said Executive Director of the UNFPA Ms Thoraya Obaid summing up her firsthand appraisal of the overall situation.

She said population controlling, reducing child and maternal motility rate, empowerment of women, gender equality and increasing access to education and primary healthcare services are the remarkable progress over the years

British mothers are demanding that they be allowed to breastfeed babies in public. Mother who breast-feed have been asked to move from restaurants, cafes, schools and high streets.

In a survey by the National Childbirth Trust (NCT), it was found that of 1,394 mothers 85 percent breastfed their babies, but over 50 percent were embarrassed while doing it in public