FGM is occurring in over 90 countries, new report shows

A new report has compiled evidence of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in 94 countries. Titled “The Time Is Now: End Female Genital Mutilation, An Urgent Need for a Global Response – Five Year Update,” the report is authored by the End FGM European Network, Equality Now, and the US Network to End FGM.

It highlights the prevalence and nature of FGM in various regions. The report reveals that the harmful practice exists in more communities than previously recognized, and the number of girls and women affected or at risk exceeds earlier estimates. Efforts to eradicate FGM are hindered by government reluctance to act, especially in countries not typically associated with the practice.

Additional challenges include weak legal protections, insufficient data, low awareness, and a lack of funding and decisive action from the international community. This research follows up on the group’s 2020 report, which documented how FGM was being underestimated globally. Since then, FGM has been identified in local communities in Azerbaijan, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

Further evidence has emerged from Colombia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, and the United Arab Emirates.

More investigation is needed in areas where data is limited, such as Panama, Mexico, and Peru, where FGM may occur among indigenous groups.

“Mounting evidence clearly shows that FG is a worldwide issue demanding a coordinated global response,” says Divya Srinivasan from Equality Now.

“To end FGM, governments, international bodies, and donors must acknowledge the extent of the problem, strengthen their political commitments to address it, and prioritize funding, especially in overlooked regions and communities.”

In 2020, UNICEF estimated that at least 200 million women and girls had undergone FGM in 31 countries. By 2024, this figure was updated to over 230 million: 80 million in Asia, 6 million in the Middle East, and 1 to 2 million in small or diaspora communities elsewhere.

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The 15 per cent increase by UNICEF is attributed to newly available data from countries previously excluded from official statistics and rapid population growth in areas where FGM occurs. While UNICEF’s 230 million figure represents the first comprehensive global estimate of women and girls impacted by FGM/C, detailed national prevalence data is still available for only 31 countries.

Reluctancy

This lack of data prevents reluctant governments from acknowledging or taking action regarding FGM. Most international funding targets a few African countries, leaving efforts to end FGM severely under-resourced.

Most international funding focuses on a few African countries. While this work to end FGM is severely under-resourced and requires increased investment, insufficient funding is even more acute in Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East, which receive only a small allocation.

The problem is compounded by some governments failing to recognize FGM in their countries and, in some cases, actively denying it, undermining and sometimes openly discrediting the work of survivors and activists.

It also establishes a baseline from which interventions can be developed, implemented, tracked, and assessed. FGM/C is internationally recognized as a serious human rights violation involving the partial or complete removal of external female genitalia for non-medical reasons.

This practice is rooted in gender inequality and seeks to control women’s and girls’ bodies and sexuality. FGM/C offers no health benefits and can lead to severe short- and long-term harm, including chronic pain, infections, psychological trauma, infertility, and higher rates of maternal and infant mortality. UNICEF’s 2024 report indicates that 66 per cent of girls who recently underwent FGM did so at the hands of a healthcare worker. In Kenya, 21 per cent of women and girls aged 15-49 have experienced some form of FGM.

By Obegi Malack

Malack obegimalack@gmail.com