Rights groups, including Amnesty International, have urged Indonesia to immediately repeal a newly issued regulation permitting female circumcision.

Amnesty International issued a joint statement with Indonesian civil society organizations Thursday, saying the new regulation legitimized the practice of female genital mutilation.

The statement called the regulation a backward step for women's rights protection in Indonesia and a violation of laws on human rights, child protection and discrimination against women.

An estimated 100 to 140 million girls and women worldwide currently live with the consequences of female circumcision, in which the female external sexual organs are partially or totally removed.

Advocacy groups say the procedure has no health benefits and can cause severe bleeding and many other serious physical and psychological complications throughout life.