An estimated 4.5 million girls worldwide are at risk of undergoing female genital mutilation (FGM) this year, the United Nations warned. Many of those at risk are under age five, the UN children’s agency UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a joint statement issued on the International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM.
FGM involves the total or partial removal of the external female genitalia and is performed in parts of Africa, the Middle East and Asia on religious or traditional grounds. The procedure is usually carried out on young girls before puberty and is based on unfounded claims, such as preserving virginity. The practice can cause severe, lifelong physical and mental health problems. Some 230 million women and girls worldwide are survivors of FGM, according to the UN.
The heads of WHO, UNICEF and other UN agencies called FGM a violation of human rights that cannot be justified and urged continued efforts to end it “for every girl and every woman at risk.” They said advances in awareness, education and community engagement are having a positive effect: half of all gains since 1990 occurred in the past decade, reducing the proportion of girls subjected to FGM from one in two to one in three.
The agencies urged sustained support for survivors, including access to comprehensive, context-specific health care, psychosocial services and legal assistance. They warned, however, that severe cuts to international aid and growing systematic pushback against anti-FGM efforts threaten progress. Without predictable funding, community outreach programmes may be scaled back and frontline services weakened, placing millions more girls at risk and jeopardizing the Sustainable Development Goal of ending FGM by 2030.
Edited by: Zac Crellin