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Culture or Cruelty: Can the international community put an end to female genital mutilation?

September 13, 2025

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) remains a widespread human rights violation affecting over 230 million girls and women worldwide, with high prevalence in more than 30 countries across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. This harmful practice, which involves partial or total removal of external female genitalia for non-medical reasons, causes severe physical trauma, psychological damage, and lifelong health complications including childbirth difficulties and chronic pain. Despite international laws and advocacy efforts to eliminate FGM by 2030, cultural traditions, social pressure, and inadequate enforcement of bans allow the practice to persist, although some countries like Burkina Faso, Kenya, and Ethiopia have made significant progress in reducing prevalence rates through community-led initiatives and changing attitudes.

Who is affected

  • Girls and women in over 90 countries, with concentration in 30 countries primarily across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East
  • More than 230 million girls and women alive today who have undergone FGM
  • Girls as young as five years old, often cut before school age
  • Women in countries with extremely high prevalence rates (Somalia 99%, Guinea 97%, Mali 89%, The Gambia 75%)
  • Girls in diaspora communities worldwide from FGM-practicing countries
  • Survivors who face lifelong health complications, PTSD, depression, and sexual dysfunction
  • Girls who leave school early and face reduced economic opportunities as a result of FGM

What action is being taken

  • Local leaders, religious figures, and women-led campaigns are working to change attitudes in affected communities
  • Some countries like Burkina Faso, Kenya, and Ethiopia are showing real progress in reducing FGM rates
  • Guinea has banned FGM by law, though enforcement remains inadequate
  • Awareness sessions are being conducted in places like Somalia's Walalah Biylooley camp
  • Activists are pushing back against harmful practices and cultural justifications of FGM
  • Some families are supporting girls' decisions not to undergo FGM, as mentioned in the example from Burkina Faso

Why it matters

  • FGM is a significant human rights violation that denies girls autonomy over their bodies
  • The practice causes intense physical pain, trauma, and long-term damage to girls' bodies and minds
  • Health consequences include obstructed labor, postpartum hemorrhage, neonatal death, infection, urinary problems, and infertility
  • FGM reflects broader systemic failures to protect girls' rights to health, safety, and autonomy
  • The practice leads to educational disadvantages, early marriage, and exclusion from social and economic opportunities
  • Progress is uneven, with populations growing in affected regions, potentially increasing the number of survivors
  • FGM enforces gendered power structures that constrain girls' lives and futures

What's next

  • No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: Global Voices