Translated by. Chiara Lamedica
Female genital mutilation (FGM) encompasses all procedures involving the total or partial removal of the external female genitalia, or any other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. These procedures are often performed on girls between infancy and the age of 15.
Several international organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, classify these practices into four main types, which vary in severity. FGM offers no health benefits to the girls who undergo it and, on the contrary, can lead to severe bleeding, urinary, sexual, vaginal and menstrual problems, cysts, intense pain, infections, death, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, childbirth complications and an increased risk of neonatal death, to name just a few.
Female genital mutilation is internationally recognized as a serious violation of the fundamental human rights of girls and young women. It violates their rights to physical and mental health, bodily integrity, security and life, as well as their right to protection from cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.
Moreover, FGM constitutes a form of discrimination against girls and women, reflecting deep-rooted gender inequality and an attempt to control the female body and sexuality.
The situation is even more alarming when considering a trend highlighted by international agencies: the decreasing age of FGM victims. Nowadays, these procedures are increasingly being performed on girls under the age of five.
To understand why FGM persists, it is important to examine its social function. Although these practices have no religious basis, despite often being wrongly justified on religious grounds, they are deeply rooted in the cultural and social traditions of many communities. They are regarded as a “rite of passage” into adulthood, a means of preserving virginity, or a prerequisite for marriage.
ActionAid has highlighted the systemic links between FGM, extreme poverty, early marriage, and school dropout rates. In rural communities, subjecting a daughter to FGM is often considered an essential prerequisite for negotiating her marriage. As a result, families facing economic hardship may sacrifice their daughters’ education to ensure their social acceptance.
According to the latest figures from UNICEF’s FGM Global Database (2024), more than 230 million girls and women alive today have undergone FGM, representing a 15% increase compared with 2016. Of these, 144 million live in African countries. These figures, together with the estimated four million girls who are at risk of undergoing FGM every year, highlight the global scale of the problem. The practice also entails substantial economic costs associated with treating its health complications, estimated at US$1.4 billion annually.
The countries most affected in the region are concentrated in the Horn of Africa, East Africa, and West Africa. They include Somalia, where the prevalence rate stands at 98%, one of the highest in the world, as well as Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya, Guinea, Djibouti, Sierra Leone, Mali, Eritrea, Burkina Faso, and Gambia.
The Legal Framework and the Abolition of the Practice
Over the past decades, significant progress has been made in the legal systems of many countries where female genital mutilation (FGM) is practised. Most sub-Saharan African countries have adopted criminal laws prohibiting the practice and imposing severe penalties on those who perform it. However, there are still countries, such as Sierra Leone, Mali and Liberia, where a comprehensive and explicit nationwide legal ban is lacking.
Nevertheless, progress must extend beyond the legal sphere and be accompanied by effective strategies. Kenya provides a notable example: alongside the Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act of 2011, the government established a dedicated agency, the Anti-FGM Board, and adopted a multisectoral approach based on participation and cooperation. The aim is to foster dialogue with community leaders and traditional custodians, encouraging them to replace physical cutting with alternative rites of passage centred on celebrations, music and education.
Burkina Faso represents another important example. It was one of the first countries in the region to criminalize FGM in the 1990s. Various studies have shown that girls’ education is one of the most powerful protective factors against the practice. In particular, higher levels of educational attainment among mothers are associated with a significantly lower likelihood of their daughters undergoing FGM, thereby helping to break the intergenerational cycle of the practice.
In 2008, the World Health Organization (WHO) also adopted a resolution calling for the elimination of FGM and emphasizing the need for coordinated action across multiple sectors. The WHO has further played a key role in combating the medicalization of FGM, an increasingly concerning phenomenon in which healthcare professionals perform the procedure under the false assumption that doing so makes it safer.
Future Challenges
The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development includes a specific target to eliminate female genital mutilation (FGM) by 2030. To achieve this goal, however, progress would need to be 27 times faster than it is today. Despite this challenge, there are reasons for hope: approximately two-thirds of the population in countries where FGM is practised openly oppose it. Moreover, as previously mentioned, progress over recent decades has been driven by the combined efforts of legislative reform and social change.
Local communities themselves play a crucial role in this process, particularly Africa’s younger generations. Through grassroots activism, the use of innovative technologies and the establishment of “safe houses”, young people have demonstrated their rejection of harmful traditional practices and their commitment to defending girls’ fundamental rights to health, bodily autonomy and education.
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