The International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) has been observed on 6 February each year since its establishment by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012. The Day is aimed at garnering political will, action, mobilization and investment to meet Sustainable Development Goal target 5.3 on eliminating FGM. Only seven years remain to achieve this target.
In the final push towards ending FGM, we need to dig deep to cross the finish line. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates that progress needs to be increased at least tenfold. The adoption by the General Assembly in 2022 of resolution 77/195, calling for the intensification of global efforts for the elimination of FGM, and in 2023 of resolution 78/188 on the girl child, urging States and other entities to ensure holistic support for girls who are at risk of or who have experienced FGM, are solid political commitments. More work is needed, however, to convert resolution into action, and to scale up movements and interventions to abandon this practice.
Fortunately, we have the “know-how” and other tools needed to end FGM. Community engagement approaches, media tools, health education and involvement of influential members of society are positively linked with attitudinal changes towards abandonment of the practice. Millions of women and girls, boys and men, religious and cultural leaders, and health workers have been engaging in and leading abandonment efforts in their communities. Such efforts have yielded results over the last 30 years: almost all countries where FGM was prevalent have outlawed this harmful practice. Today, one third of girls (0-14 years of age) undergo FGM compared to half before. But we cannot rest: this year alone, nearly 4.4 million girls remain at risk.
The 200 million girls and women who have been subjected to FGM should not be forgotten in the pursuit of elimination, as their daughters are more likely to undergo the practice and need special attention. FGM survivors can be effective agents of change, as they have personal knowledge of the experience and of the obstacles to change, as well as the cultural and social awareness required to implement appropriate interventions within their communities.
During a visit to Ethiopia in October 2023, I met Shakira, a woman of 53 years of age, whose life story embodies the fierce courage and dedication required to challenge deeply entrenched cultural practices. Shakira experienced first-hand the dire repercussions of FGM, enduring severe complications with each of her five childbirths. Resolved to shield her daughters from the same trauma, she stood up to her husband's wishes to have their daughter undergo FGM. Her act of defiance led to her family being shunned by their community.
Shakira's resistance was not in vain, as her actions—combined with awareness-raising efforts by local partners supported by the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation—have sparked a gradual but profound transformation. Her activism has not only led to a paradigm shift within her own village but has extended to surrounding regions, making her a formidable figure in the battle against FGM.
The Joint Programme has supported FGM survivors, prioritizing investments in survivor-led initiatives centred around empowerment, agency and access to essential services. As of last year, the Joint Programme supported more than 11,000 organizations, of which 83 per cent were grass-roots organizations partnering with coalitions and survivor-led movements advocating for changes in policies and laws, and championing changes in social and gender norms.
This year’s global campaign on the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation focuses on the voices, stories and initiatives of survivors in leading the #EndFGM movement, urging the global community to strengthen investment in such movements. We pay tribute to survivors like Shakira, a woman whose strength and advocacy have become a source of inspiration and change in her community in Ethiopia. We also recognize and celebrate survivors of FGM who have demonstrated leadership to end the practice within their own families and communities, and at the national and global levels.
What is a female genital mutilation?
Female genital mutilation involves partial or total removal of external female genitalia or other injury for non-medical reasons. It is a human rights violation that endangers the physical and mental health of women and girls and limits their potential to lead healthy and fulfilling lives. It places them at an increased risk of serious pain, bleeding and infections and the likelihood of other health complications later in life, including risks during childbirth, which can imperil the lives of their newborns.
