www.unicef.org
Open in
urlscan Pro
2600:141b:1c00:2480::23aa
Public Scan
URL:
https://www.unicef.org/protection/female-genital-mutilation
Submission: On November 25 via api from US — Scanned from CA
Submission: On November 25 via api from US — Scanned from CA
Form analysis 3 forms found in the DOM
GET /search
<form class="views-exposed-form views-exposed-form-solrsearch-filter" novalidate="novalidate" data-drupal-selector="views-exposed-form-solrsearch-page-1" action="/search" method="get" id="views-exposed-form-solrsearch-page-pop" accept-charset="UTF-8"
data-once="form-submit-check">
<input data-drupal-selector="edit-force" type="hidden" name="force" value="0">
<div class="form--inline form-inline clearfix">
<div class="solrsearch-controls txt-block-full">
<div class="search-input-facet-container">
<div class="solrsearch-input-box">
<div class="form-item js-form-item form-type-search-api-autocomplete js-form-type-search-api-autocomplete form-item-query js-form-item-query">
<label for="edit-query-inpt-pop" class="control-label text-smaller-input">Fulltext search</label>
<input placeholder="Search" data-drupal-selector="edit-query" data-search-api-autocomplete-search="solrsearch" class="form-autocomplete form-text unicef-input ui-autocomplete-input"
data-autocomplete-path="/search_api_autocomplete/solrsearch?display=page_1&&filter=query" type="text" id="edit-query-inpt-pop" name="query" size="30" maxlength="128"
data-once="autocomplete autocomplete-search-js search-api-autocomplete" autocomplete="off">
<button type="reset" href="#" class="btn--invisible search-input__button search-input__button--clear" disabled="disabled" data-once="input-clear-icon">
<span class="visually-hidden"> Clear search input </span>
<span class="input-clear-icon grey-lighter"></span>
</button>
<button class="btn--invisible search-input__button search-input__button--search" disabled="disabled" data-once="icon-form-submit">
<span class="visually-hidden"> Search for result </span>
<span class="unicef-icon grey-darker"></span>
</button>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="solrsearch-sort-facet-date-container ">
<div class="solrsearch-sort selectric-primary" title="Hide filters">
<button class="icon icon-facet-close btn--invisible" data-once="status-facet-close clickable-sort-icon">
<span class="visually-hidden"> Visually hides dropdown options for search. </span>
</button>
<button class="icon icon-facet btn--invisible" data-once="status-facet-open clickable-sort-icon" style="display: none;">
<span class="visually-hidden"> Show filters </span>
</button>
</div>
<div class="solrsearch-facet-calendar-container grey-lighter-bc">
<div class="solrsearch-calendar-container">
<div class="form-item js-form-item form-type-textfield js-form-type-textfield form-item-created-min js-form-item-created-min">
<input placeholder="Date range" data-drupal-selector="edit-created-min" type="text" id="edit-created-min" name="created[min]" value="" size="30" maxlength="128" class="form-text">
<button type="reset" href="#" class="btn--invisible search-input__button search-input__button--clear" disabled="" data-once="input-clear-icon">
<span class="visually-hidden"> Clear search input </span>
<span class="input-clear-icon grey-lighter"></span>
</button>
<button class="btn--invisible search-input__button search-input__button--search" disabled="" data-once="icon-form-submit">
<span class="visually-hidden"> Search for result </span>
<span class="unicef-icon grey-darker"></span>
</button>
</div>
<div class="form-item js-form-item form-type-textfield js-form-type-textfield form-item-created-max js-form-item-created-max">
<label for="edit-created-max" class="control-label text-smaller-input">Max</label>
<input data-drupal-selector="edit-created-max" type="text" id="edit-created-max" name="created[max]" value="" size="30" maxlength="128" class="form-text">
<button type="reset" href="#" class="btn--invisible search-input__button search-input__button--clear" disabled="" data-once="input-clear-icon">
<span class="visually-hidden"> Clear search input </span>
<span class="input-clear-icon grey-lighter"></span>
</button>
<button class="btn--invisible search-input__button search-input__button--search" disabled="" data-once="icon-form-submit">
<span class="visually-hidden"> Search for result </span>
<span class="unicef-icon grey-darker"></span>
</button>
</div>
</div>
<div class="solrsearch-facet-container grey-lighter-bc">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="solrsearch-form-submit">
<div data-drupal-selector="edit-actions" class="form-actions js-form-wrapper form-wrapper" id="edit-actions">
<input data-drupal-selector="edit-submit-solrsearch" type="submit" id="edit-submit-solrsearch-pop" value="Apply" class="button js-form-submit form-submit">
</div>
</div>
<div class="facet-preserve">
</div>
</form>POST /api/unicef-component-mosaic/getbyoptionfederated/337a64e5-7e65-4d55-93a2-bec4f034992c:12656456
<form class="unicef-component-mosaic-automatic" id="unicef-component-mosaic-automatic-337a64e5-7e65-4d55-93a2-bec4f034992c" data-drupal-selector="unicef-component-mosaic-automatic-2" novalidate="novalidate"
action="/api/unicef-component-mosaic/getbyoptionfederated/337a64e5-7e65-4d55-93a2-bec4f034992c:12656456" method="post" accept-charset="UTF-8">
<div class="unicef-component-mosaic-automatic" data-drupal-selector="unicef-component-mosaic-automatic-2" novalidate="novalidate">
<div class="selectric-secondary primary ">
<div id="unicef-component-mosaic-automatic-337a64e5-7e65-4d55-93a2-bec4f034992c-container" data-drupal-selector="edit-rendered-view" class="js-form-wrapper form-wrapper">
<div data-drupal-selector="edit-items" id="edit-items--2" class="col-4 disp-tile js-form-wrapper form-wrapper">
<div class="card white-bg text-grey1">
<a href="https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-protection/female-genital-mutilation/" target="_blank" title="UNICEF Data: Female Genital Mutilation" data-action="https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-protection/female-genital-mutilation/" data-tracked-component="cta" data-bound="click" data-label="UNICEF Data: Female Genital Mutilation" class="disable-state">
<div class="card-hero-link">
<div class="field node field_bouncer_media odd-t entity_reference">
<div class="view-card field field--name-field-component-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field--item">
<div class="field media image odd-t"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/UN0137132.jpg.webp?itok=-h9UFXEo" width="480" height="320" alt="">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="card-content">
<div class="card-info">
<div class="tile--content-category text-grey1">
<div class="field node field_shared_content_group odd-t entity_reference"><div class="content-category-content">
<div class="field taxonomy_term field_cgroup_icon odd-t entity_reference"><article>
<div class="field media field_cgroupicon_image odd-t svg_image_field"> <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" fill="#000000" height="100" viewBox="0 0 24 24" width="100">
<path d="M19 3H5c-1.1 0-2 .9-2 2v14c0 1.1.9 2 2 2h14c1.1 0 2-.9 2-2V5c0-1.1-.9-2-2-2zM9 17H7v-7h2v7zm4 0h-2V7h2v10zm4 0h-2v-4h2v4z"></path>
<path d="M0 0h24v24H0z" fill="none"></path>
</svg>
</div>
</article>
</div>
<div class="field taxonomy_term name odd-t string">Statistics</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<h4 class="h4 text-grey1" style="background-color: ; color: ">
UNICEF Data: Female Genital Mutilation
</h4>
<p class="card-description text-small white-bg text-grey1">
Explore global data and resources on this harmful practice
</p>
<span class="btntext card-button-link btntext grey1 btntext grey1">Visit the page</span>
</div>
</a>
</div>
<div class="card white-bg text-grey1">
<a href="/documents/maturity-model" title="" data-action="/documents/maturity-model" data-tracked-component="cta" data-bound="click" data-label="" class="disable-state">
<div class="card-content">
<div class="card-info">
<div class="tile--content-category text-grey1">
<div class="field node field_shared_content_group odd-t entity_reference"><div class="content-category-content">
<div class="field taxonomy_term field_cgroup_icon odd-t entity_reference"><article>
<div class="field media field_cgroupicon_image odd-t svg_image_field"> <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" fill="#000000" height="100" viewBox="0 0 24 24" width="100">
<path d="M0 0h24v24H0z" fill="none"></path>
<path d="M19 3h-4.18C14.4 1.84 13.3 1 12 1c-1.3 0-2.4.84-2.82 2H5c-1.1 0-2 .9-2 2v14c0 1.1.9 2 2 2h14c1.1 0 2-.9 2-2V5c0-1.1-.9-2-2-2zm-7 0c.55 0 1 .45 1 1s-.45 1-1 1-1-.45-1-1 .45-1 1-1zm2 14H7v-2h7v2zm3-4H7v-2h10v2zm0-4H7V7h10v2z"></path>
</svg>
</div>
</article>
</div>
<div class="field taxonomy_term name odd-t string">Document</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<h4 class="h4 text-grey1" style="background-color: ; color: ">
Maturity model and assessment tools for harmful practices and policies
</h4>
<p class="card-description text-small white-bg text-grey1">
</p>
<span class="btntext card-button-link btntext grey1 btntext grey1">Get the document</span>
</div>
</a>
</div>
<div class="card white-bg text-grey1">
<a href="/press-releases/unicef-and-unfpa-alarmed-proposed-repeal-law-banning-fgm-gambia" title="UNICEF and UNFPA alarmed by proposed repeal of law banning FGM in The Gambia" data-action="/press-releases/unicef-and-unfpa-alarmed-proposed-repeal-law-banning-fgm-gambia" data-tracked-component="cta" data-bound="click" data-label="UNICEF and UNFPA alarmed by proposed repeal of law banning FGM in The Gambia" class="disable-state">
<div class="card-content">
<div class="card-info">
<div class="tile--content-category text-grey1">
<div class="field node field_shared_content_group odd-t entity_reference"><div class="content-category-content">
<div class="field taxonomy_term field_cgroup_icon odd-t entity_reference"><article>
<div class="field media field_cgroupicon_image odd-t svg_image_field"> <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" fill="#000000" height="100" viewBox="0 0 24 24" width="100">
<path d="M0 0h24v24H0z" fill="none"></path>
<path d="M14 2H6c-1.1 0-1.99.9-1.99 2L4 20c0 1.1.89 2 1.99 2H18c1.1 0 2-.9 2-2V8l-6-6zm2 16H8v-2h8v2zm0-4H8v-2h8v2zm-3-5V3.5L18.5 9H13z"></path>
</svg>
</div>
</article>
</div>
<div class="field taxonomy_term name odd-t string">Statement</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="tile--date">
<span class="note text-grey1">22 March 2024</span>
</div>
</div>
<h4 class="h4 text-grey1" style="background-color: ; color: ">
UNICEF and UNFPA alarmed by proposed repeal of law banning FGM in The Gambia
</h4>
<span class="btntext card-button-link btntext grey1 btntext grey1">Read now</span>
</div>
</a>
</div>
<div class="card white-bg text-grey1">
<a href="/press-releases/over-230-million-girls-and-women-alive-today-have-been-subjected-female-genital" title="Over 230 million girls and women alive today have been subjected to female genital mutilation — UNICEF" data-action="/press-releases/over-230-million-girls-and-women-alive-today-have-been-subjected-female-genital" data-tracked-component="cta" data-bound="click" data-label="Over 230 million girls and women alive today have been subjected to female genital mutilation — UNICEF" class="disable-state">
<div class="card-hero-link">
<div class="field node field_press_release_media odd-t entity_reference">
<div class="view-card field field--name-field-component-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field--item">
<div class="field media image odd-t"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/UN0410891_0.jpg.webp?itok=bx84w8eO" width="480" height="320" alt="">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="card-content">
<div class="card-info">
<div class="tile--content-category text-grey1">
<div class="field node field_shared_content_group odd-t entity_reference"><div class="content-category-content">
<div class="field taxonomy_term field_cgroup_icon odd-t entity_reference"><article>
<div class="field media field_cgroupicon_image odd-t svg_image_field"> <svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" fill="#000000" height="100" viewBox="0 0 24 24" width="100">
<path d="M0 0h24v24H0z" fill="none"></path>
<path d="M14 2H6c-1.1 0-1.99.9-1.99 2L4 20c0 1.1.89 2 1.99 2H18c1.1 0 2-.9 2-2V8l-6-6zm2 16H8v-2h8v2zm0-4H8v-2h8v2zm-3-5V3.5L18.5 9H13z"></path>
</svg>
</div>
</article>
</div>
<div class="field taxonomy_term name odd-t string">Press release</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="tile--date">
<span class="note text-grey1">08 March 2024</span>
</div>
</div>
<p class="press-release card-description text-small white-bg text-grey1">
Over 230 million girls and women alive today have been subjected to female genital mutilation — UNICEF
</p>
<span class="btntext card-button-link btntext grey1 btntext grey1">Visit the page</span>
</div>
</a>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<input autocomplete="off" data-drupal-selector="form-8kgznh7mkcueshtwcsugusipvdngufegixmhijw0ve" type="hidden" name="form_build_id" value="form-_8kgzNH7MkcueSHtWCsuGusIpVDNGufEgIxmHIJw0vE"><input
data-drupal-selector="edit-unicef-component-mosaic-automatic-2" type="hidden" name="form_id" value="unicef_component_mosaic_automatic">
</div>
</div>
</form>POST /api/unicef-component-mosaic/getbyoptionfederated/0966e608-ee1d-4e5c-b592-5e699584d556:12587606
<form class="unicef-component-mosaic-automatic" id="unicef-component-mosaic-automatic-0966e608-ee1d-4e5c-b592-5e699584d556" data-drupal-selector="unicef-component-mosaic-automatic-4" novalidate="novalidate"
action="/api/unicef-component-mosaic/getbyoptionfederated/0966e608-ee1d-4e5c-b592-5e699584d556:12587606" method="post" accept-charset="UTF-8">
<div class="unicef-component-mosaic-automatic" data-drupal-selector="unicef-component-mosaic-automatic-4" novalidate="novalidate">
<div class="selectric-secondary primary ">
<div id="unicef-component-mosaic-automatic-0966e608-ee1d-4e5c-b592-5e699584d556-container" data-drupal-selector="edit-rendered-view" class="js-form-wrapper form-wrapper">
<div data-drupal-selector="edit-items" id="edit-items--4" class="col-4 disp-tile js-form-wrapper form-wrapper">
<div class="card published white-bg grey-darker grey-darker nothingfcp ">
<a href="/stories/kenya-mother-leads-movement-stop-fgm-her-community" title="A Kenyan mother leads the way to stop FGM in her community" data-action="/stories/kenya-mother-leads-movement-stop-fgm-her-community" data-tracked-component="cta" data-bound="click" data-label="A Kenyan mother leads the way to stop FGM in her community" class="disable-state">
<div class="card-hero-link">
<div class="field media image odd-t">
<img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/KE_PIC1.jpg.webp?itok=vV0xKwv2">
</div>
</div>
<div class="card-content">
<div class="card-info">
<div class="tile--content-category grey-darker nothingfcp">
<div class="field taxonomy_term name odd-t string">
<div class="field node field_shared_content_group odd-t entity_reference">
<div class="content-category-content">
<div class="field taxonomy_term field_cgroup_icon odd-t entity_reference">
<article><article>
<div class="field media field_cgroupicon_image odd-t svg_image_field"> <!--?xml version="1.0"?-->
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" fill="#000000" height="25" viewBox="0 0 24 24" width="25">
<defs>
<path d="M0 0h24v24H0V0z" id="a"></path>
</defs>
<path d="M0 0h24v24H0z" fill="none"></path>
<path d="M21 5c-1.11-.35-2.33-.5-3.5-.5-1.95 0-4.05.4-5.5 1.5-1.45-1.1-3.55-1.5-5.5-1.5S2.45 4.9 1 6v14.65c0 .25.25.5.5.5.1 0 .15-.05.25-.05C3.1 20.45 5.05 20 6.5 20c1.95 0 4.05.4 5.5 1.5 1.35-.85 3.8-1.5 5.5-1.5 1.65 0 3.35.3 4.75 1.05.1.05.15.05.25.05.25 0 .5-.25.5-.5V6c-.6-.45-1.25-.75-2-1zm0 13.5c-1.1-.35-2.3-.5-3.5-.5-1.7 0-4.15.65-5.5 1.5V8c1.35-.85 3.8-1.5 5.5-1.5 1.2 0 2.4.15 3.5.5v11.5z"></path>
</svg>
</div>
</article>
</article>
</div>
<div class="field taxonomy_term name odd-t string">Article</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<h4 class="h4 white-bg grey-darker grey-darker nothingfcp" style="background-color: ; color: ">
A Kenyan mother leads the way to stop FGM in her community
</h4>
<p class="card-description text-small white-bg grey-darker grey-darker nothingfcp">
Breaking with tradition to keep her daughters from undergoing female genital mutilation
</p>
<span class="btntext card-button-link ">
Read the story
</span>
</div>
</a>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<input autocomplete="off" data-drupal-selector="form-dtnig8gh2-szwm8xcbvvdmmygbgx2cl9c3zztl-kune" type="hidden" name="form_build_id" value="form-DTniG8gH2-SZwm8XcBvvDMMYgbgX2CL9c3zZtL-KuNE"><input
data-drupal-selector="edit-unicef-component-mosaic-automatic-4" type="hidden" name="form_id" value="unicef_component_mosaic_automatic">
</div>
</div>
</form>Text Content
We use cookies and other identifiers to help improve your online experience. By
using our website you agree to this. To learn more, including how to change your
settings, see our cookies policy.
Ok
Skip to main content
Children in Gaza need life-saving support
* Read more
Click to close the emergency alert banner.
Toggle navigation
* English
* Français
* Español
* العربية
* 中文
* Press centre
Donate
*
What we do
*
Focus areas
*
Adolescent development
*
Child protection
*
Child rights
*
Children with disabilities
*
Climate change and environment
*
Early childhood development
*
Education
*
Gender
* *
Health
*
Humanitarian emergencies
*
Immunization
*
Migrant and refugee children
*
Nutrition
*
Social and behaviour change
*
Social policy
*
Water, sanitation and hygiene
* *
Health
*
Humanitarian emergencies
*
Immunization
*
Migrant and refugee children
*
Nutrition
*
Social and behaviour change
*
Social policy
*
Water, sanitation and hygiene
*
How we do it
*
Partnerships
*
Innovation
*
Supply and logistics
*
Young people
*
Humanitarian Action for Children
*
Evaluation
*
Research and reports
*
Policy and Research
*
Innocenti - Research and Foresight
*
Publications
*
The State of the World’s Children
*
Annual Report
*
Humanitarian Action for Children
*
Publications by topic
*
Data
*
Data by topic and country
*
Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS)
*
Child rights and global goals
*
Convention on the Rights of the Child
*
Core Commitments for Children
*
Sustainable Development Goals
*
Stories
*
Stories and explainers
*
Stories of impact
*
Issue explainers
*
Photography
*
Emergencies spotlight
*
All emergencies
*
Afghanistan
*
Democratic Republic of Congo
*
Gaza Strip
*
Haiti
*
Lebanon
* *
Rohingya refugees
*
Sudan
*
Syria
*
Ukraine
*
Yemen
* *
Rohingya refugees
*
Sudan
*
Syria
*
Ukraine
*
Yemen
*
Voices
*
UNICEF Blog
*
Data Blog
*
U-Report
*
Who we are
*
About UNICEF
*
Who we are
*
History
*
Results
*
Strategic Plan
*
Transparency and accountability
*
Work with us
*
Our people
*
Executive leadership
*
Executive Board
*
Staff
*
Where we work
*
All locations
*
East Asia and Pacific
*
Eastern and Southern Africa
*
Europe and Central Asia
*
Latin America and the Caribbean
*
Middle East and North Africa
*
South Asia
*
West and Central Africa
*
Child rights and global goals
*
Convention on the Rights of the Child
*
Sustainable Development Goals
*
Take action
*
Get involved
*
Work with us
*
Partner with us
*
Donate
*
Volunteer
*
Advocate for children
*
Action on the climate crisis
*
Adolescent girls' rights
*
Child health and survival
*
Child rights
*
Children under attack
*
Spotlight
*
World Children's Day
*
Stay for children in crisis
*
Communities
*
UNICEF Parenting
*
U-Report
Search form
Search area has closed.
Search area has opened.
SearchClose
1. Home
2. PROGRAMME MENU
Child protection
* Resources
* Violence against children
* Protecting children in humanitarian action
* Gender-based violence
* Explosive weapons
* Children recruited by armed forces
* Family separation
* Sexual exploitation and abuse
* Mental health and psychosocial support
* Harmful practices
* Child marriage
* Female genital mutilation
* Migrant and displaced children
* UNICEF’s Agenda for Action
* Justice for children
* Birth registration
* Social service workforce
3. Harmful practices
4. Female genital mutilation
Search form
Fulltext search Clear search input Search for result
Visually hides dropdown options for search. Show filters
Clear search input Search for result
Max Clear search input Search for result
Explainer
WHAT IS FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION?
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FGM AND WHAT UNICEF IS DOING TO STOP IT
UNICEF/UNI380669/Bongyereirwe
* Available in:
* English
* Français
* Español
* العربية
* 中文
An estimated 230 million girls and women worldwide have undergone some form of
female genital mutilation (FGM) – many before the age of 15. Despite being
internationally recognized as a human rights violation, FGM persists for various
reasons. No matter where or how it is performed, FGM causes extreme physical and
psychological harm.
Learn how UNICEF responds
Get resources
WHAT IS FGM?
Female genital mutilation (FGM) refers to all procedures involving partial or
total removal of the female external genitalia or other injury to the female
genital organs for non-medical reasons. It is most often carried out on young
girls between infancy and age 15. In every form in which it is practiced, FGM is
a violation of girls’ and women’s fundamental human rights, including their
rights to health, security and dignity.
HOW IS FGM A RISK FOR GIRLS AND WOMEN?
FGM has no health benefits and can lead to serious, long-term complications and
even death. Immediate health risks include haemorrhage, shock, infection, HIV
transmission, urine retention and severe pain.
Psychological impacts can range from a girl losing trust in her caregivers, to
longer-term feelings of anxiety and depression.
In adulthood, girls subjected to FGM are more likely to suffer infertility or
complications during childbirth, including postpartum haemorrhage, stillbirth
and early neonatal death.
WHY IS FGM STILL PRACTICED?
Numerous factors contribute to the persistence of the practice. Yet in every
society in which it occurs, FGM is an expression of deeply rooted gender
inequality.
Some societies see it as a rite of passage. Others use it to suppress a girl’s
sexuality or ensure her chastity. FGM is not endorsed by Islam or Christianity,
but religious texts are commonly deployed to justify it.
Where FGM is most prevalent, communities may deem it a prerequisite for marriage
or inheritance. This makes it difficult for parents to abandon the practice.
Families who don’t participate face ostracism, their daughters at risk of
becoming ineligible for marriage.
HOW IS FGM A HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION?
No matter how it is practiced, FGM is a violation of universal human rights
principles.
FGM violates the principles of equality and non-discrimination on the basis of
sex. It violates the right to freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman or
degrading treatment. It violates the right to the highest attainable standard of
health, the right to physical integrity, and the rights of the child. In the
worst cases, it even violates the right to life.
HOW PREVALENT IS FGM?
While the exact number of girls and women to have undergone FGM worldwide
remains unknown, at least 230 million girls and women from 31 countries across
three continents have been subjected to the practice.
UNFPA estimates that over 4 million girls are at risk of FGM each year. In 2021,
an additional 2 million cases of FGM were predicted to occur over the next
decade, as a result of COVID-19-related school closures and disruptions to
programmes that help protect girls from the practice.
Global efforts have accelerated progress being made to eliminate FGM. Today, a
girl is about one third less likely to be subjected to it than she was 30 years
ago. Still, sustaining these achievements in the face of population growth
presents a considerable challenge. By 2030, nearly one in three girls worldwide
will be born in the 31 countries where FGM is most prevalent, putting 68 million
girls at risk.
If global efforts are not significantly scaled up, the number of girls and women
undergoing FGM will be higher in 2030 than it is today.
WHERE IS FGM MOST COMMON?
Although FGM is declining in the majority of countries where it is most
prevalent, progress eliminating the practice has been uneven. In some countries,
FGM remains as common today as it was three decades ago. Over 90 per cent of
women and girls aged 15 – 49 have undergone some form of genital mutilation in
Guinea and Somalia.
WHAT IS THE MEDICALIZATION OF FGM?
An alarming trend in some countries is the medicalization of FGM, in which the
procedure is carried out by a health-care provider. Approximately one in four
FGM survivors – some 52 million women and girls worldwide – were subjected to
FGM at the hands of health personnel.
Medicalization not only violates medical ethics, but it also risks legitimizing
the practice and giving the impression it is without consequences. No matter
where or by whom it is performed, FGM is never safe. All forms of FGM remove and
damage healthy tissue and interfere with the biological functions of girls’
bodies.
HOW ARE ATTITUDES TOWARDS FGM EVOLVING?
Girls’ and women’s attitudes about FGM vary widely across countries where the
practice is prevalent, but opposition is mounting.
Around 400 million people in FGM-practicing countries in Africa and the Middle
East – two thirds of the population – are against it.
Education is a pivotal factor: Girls and women with primary education are 30 per
cent more likely to oppose the practice, and 70 per cent more likely if they've
received a secondary education.
Findings from a recent UNICEF analysis also show that many boys and men are
against FGM. In Ethiopia, for example – a country with one of the highest rates
of FGM globally – male opposition to the practice is 87 per cent.
UNICEF/UN0410891/Ayene When Magfira found out that her best friend, Mekiya,
would be forced to undergo FGM, she alerted the authorities. Mekiya now calls
her friend her rescuer.
WHAT IS UNICEF DOING TO STOP FGM?
Eliminating FGM requires coordinated efforts that engage whole communities –
young people, parents, religious leaders, civil society organizations,
activists, medical personnel, educators and policymakers. One of the most
effective ways to end FGM is through collective abandonment, in which an entire
community chooses to forgo the practice. This ensures that no single family or
girl will be disadvantaged for not participating in FGM.
UNICEF and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) jointly lead the world’s
largest programme to end FGM. Launched in 2008, the programme partners with
communities to raise awareness of the harms caused by FGM and to shift social
norms towards collective abandonment. UNICEF also works with governments at the
national and regional levels to support the development of policies focusing on
ending and outlawing FGM.
For girls at risk of FGM, as well as FGM survivors, UNICEF provides access to
medical and psychological care, and supports health workers who provide such
treatment.
WHAT IMPACT HAS UNICEF’S WORK HAD?
Since the establishment of the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination
of Female Genital Mutilation, 13 countries have passed national legislation
banning FGM. The programme has also helped more than 6 million girls and women
receive prevention, protection and treatment services related to FGM. Some 45
million people in communities across 15 countries have now made public
declarations to abandon the practice.
LEARN MORE ABOUT FGM
Statistics
UNICEF DATA: FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION
Explore global data and resources on this harmful practice
Visit the page
Document
MATURITY MODEL AND ASSESSMENT TOOLS FOR HARMFUL PRACTICES AND POLICIES
Get the document
Statement
22 March 2024
UNICEF AND UNFPA ALARMED BY PROPOSED REPEAL OF LAW BANNING FGM IN THE GAMBIA
Read now
Press release
08 March 2024
Over 230 million girls and women alive today have been subjected to female
genital mutilation — UNICEF
Visit the page
UNICEF IS CO-LEADING A GLOBAL FIGHT TO END FGM
See how
HEAR STORIES FROM SURVIVORS
Article
A KENYAN MOTHER LEADS THE WAY TO STOP FGM IN HER COMMUNITY
Breaking with tradition to keep her daughters from undergoing female genital
mutilation
Read the story
Share
UNICEF Home
* What we do
* Research and reports
* Stories and features
* Where we work
* Press centre
* Take action
About us
* Work for UNICEF
* Partner with UNICEF
* UNICEF Executive Board
* Evaluation
* Ethics
* Internal Audit and Investigations
* Transparency and accountability
* Safeguarding
* Sustainable Development Goals
* Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Related UNICEF sites
* UNICEF Blog
* UNICEF Data
* UNICEF Parenting
* U-Report
* Global Shared Services Centre
* Support UNICEF
* ЮНИСЕФ на Русском
Become a donor
*
*
*
*
*
*
* Contact us
* Legal
* Report fraud, abuse, wrongdoing
* Accessibility
ShareThis Copy and Paste