A retired doctor has been arrested after he performed female genital mutilation against a 12-year-old girl, who later died.

Key points: Genital cutting remains widespread in parts of Asia, the Middle East and Africa

Genital cutting remains widespread in parts of Asia, the Middle East and Africa The UN aims to have the practice of FGM eliminated by 2030

The UN aims to have the practice of FGM eliminated by 2030 Egypt banned FGM in 2008 but activists claim policing of the practice is inadequate

The victim's parents and aunt took her to a private clinic where she underwent the illegal procedure, the public prosecutor's office said in a statement.

"After she left, she suffered complications. The doctor tried to save her, but she passed away," said the statement, pledging "firm action" against anyone carrying out the procedure in the future.

The girl's relatives were also being held for a period of four days while the authorities investigate her death, said the statement.

The practice, which is known variously as female genital mutilation, FGM, genital alteration and female circumcision, is considered a rite of passage in some cultures.

The World Health Organisation estimates that at least 200 million girls worldwide have been subjected to genital cutting in both developed and developing countries.

Female circumcision is illegal in many countries, including Australia.

FGM typically involves the partial or total removal of the external genitalia. In some cases, the vaginal opening is sewn up.

Other procedures, more common in parts of Asia, include nicking or pricking the clitoris.

Since the mid-1990s, Egypt has been battling the centuries-old practice, which is misguidedly believed to control women's sexuality.

In 2008, a law banning the cutting of female genitalia was passed in Parliament despite strong opposition from conservative voices.

But a 2015 government survey found that 87 per cent of all Egyptian women between 15 and 49 years of age have been circumcised.

In 2016 the practice was made a felony, meaning doctors who perform the procedure can be jailed for up to seven years.

In Sierra Leone, where FGM is prevalent, a 15-year-old mother is determined her daughter should not undergo the same painful procedure she was subjected to. ( Plan International: Quinn Neely )

Plan International Australia CEO Susanne Legena said she was deeply shocked by the news.

"The sad reality is that FGM is still widespread in Egypt as well as many other countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. This year, there are 4.1 million girls across the globe who are at risk of FGM," she said.

"The majority of girls undergo this procedure before the age of five. It is a horrific and harmful practice; a violation of human rights and a form of gender-based violence that must be eradicated."

She added the procedure had no health benefits and when a girl survives it, the long-term health risks include menstrual problems, fertility issues and psychological trauma.

"Because it is usually performed without permission and often against [her] will, it violates a girl's right to make important decisions about her sexual and reproductive health," she said.

Lax policing allows FGM to continue, activists say

Anyone requesting the operation — usually relatives — faces jail of up to three years.

However, activists say the law has not been strictly enforced and even those found guilty are often given a lighter penalty.

"Many more Egyptian girls will be forced to undergo the procedure, and many of them will die — as long as there is no clear strategy from the state and a true criminalisation of the practice," said Amel Fahmy, managing director of Tadwein Gender Research Centre.

In December 2016, an Egyptian criminal court had sentenced two doctors and the mother of a 17-year-old girl who died after FGM to only a one-year suspended sentence each, a verdict that drew sharp criticism from activists.

Entessar el-Saeed, a human rights lawyer at the Cairo Foundation for Development and Law, said the persistence of the practice showed more needed to be done to raise awareness, particularly in rural areas.

"Medicine, the law and religion are against this practice and yet it is still widespread."

Medical professionals say there are no health benefits of female genital mutilation. ( Stock.xchng: Vivek Chugh )

The United Nations in Egypt said it was "outraged that such senseless deaths still occur in 2020, despite progress made to eradicate this violent practice in terms of law reform, awareness raising, as well as direct engagement with local communities and religious leaders".

"We welcome the statement by the National Committee for the Eradication of FGM denouncing the dreadful incident and, while respecting the ongoing investigation and independence of the judicial process, we echo its call for the maximum punishment for the perpetrators".

The UN has set a goal to eliminate female circumcision worldwide by 2030.

ABC/wires