Excision: is it possible to eradicate a tradition?

200 million women are said to have been circumcised worldwide according to UNICEF, 15,000 in Switzerland. From Africa to the Philippines to Iraq, female genital mutilation is linked neither to a particular culture nor religion, and no one really knows its origin. Tradition is the only justification. How can we effectively combat a mutilating practice that can cause serious after-effects?