New Report Reveals FGM/C More Widespread Than Previously Estimated, Calls for Urgent Global Action
GENEVA/Switzerland: A new report has exposed the alarming scale of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in 94 countries, far beyond previously recognized communities, with the number of affected or at-risk girls and women surpassing earlier estimates. The report, titled The Time Is Now: End Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting, An Urgent Need for a Global Response – Five Year Update, highlights the persistence of the practice due to government inaction, weak legal frameworks, insufficient data, and a lack of international funding and intervention.
Compiled by the End FGM European Network, Equality Now, and the U.S. Network to End FGM/C, the report builds on findings from 2020 that underscored global underestimation of FGM/C. Since then, new evidence has surfaced from regions including Azerbaijan, Cambodia, and Vietnam, while further data points to the presence of FGM/C in Colombia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, and the United Arab Emirates. Additionally, there are indications that the practice may exist among indigenous groups in Panama, Mexico, and Peru, underscoring the need for further investigation.
“Mounting evidence clearly shows that FGM/C is a worldwide issue demanding a coordinated global response,” said Divya Srinivasan of Equality Now. “Governments, international bodies, and donors must acknowledge the extent of the problem, strengthen their political commitments, and prioritize funding, especially in overlooked regions and communities.”
A major challenge remains the lack of comprehensive data. In 2020, UNICEF estimated that at least 200 million women and girls had undergone FGM/C in 31 countries. By 2024, that figure had risen to over 230 million, largely due to newly available data and population growth in affected areas. However, national prevalence data remains limited to just 31 countries, allowing governments to ignore or deny the practice. Meanwhile, international funding is heavily concentrated in a few African nations, leaving regions such as Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East with inadequate resources to combat the issue.
Of the 94 countries where FGM/C has been identified, only 58 have laws explicitly prohibiting the practice, leaving millions without legal protection. Some governments have even actively denied its existence, undermining activists and survivors. However, progress has been made, with Sudan, Indonesia, Finland, Poland, and the United States passing new laws since 2020, while France has strengthened its legal framework and the European Union has adopted regional legislation.
A rising concern is the medicalization of FGM/C, with UNICEF’s 2024 report revealing that 66% of girls who recently underwent the procedure did so at the hands of healthcare workers, particularly in Egypt, Indonesia, and Kenya. In Russia, some clinics openly advertise FGM/C services, normalizing the practice under the guise of medical legitimacy.
