The UN International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), in a report released on International Women’s Day, posits that over 230 million women and girls worldwide have been subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM). This represents a 15 percent increase or an additional 30 million victims when compared to data from 2016.
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is defined by the UN as a practice that involves altering or injuring the female genitalia for non-medical reasons. It’s associated with both immediate health risks and longer-term psychological impacts and is in violation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. According to the UN Population Fund’s estimation, over 4 million girls risk being subjected to FGM annually.
In response to this ongoing issue, UNICEF, along with UNFPA, launched a Joint Programme in 2008 aimed at shifting social norms in affected communities and working with governments to enforce functional national response systems. This initiative has witnessed successes, with significant declines in FGM in countries like Kenya, Sierra Leone, and Egypt.
Unfortunately, progress towards total eradication of FGM remains slow, falling short of the Sustainable Development Goal’s Target 5.3 deadline to end the practice by 2030. Interferences like conflict, population growth, and natural disasters continue to pose significant challenges to eradication in countries like Somalia, Sudan, and Ethiopia.
To combat these challenges and to protect future generations of girls, UNICEF is urging leaders and communities to bolster their efforts and enact measures to end gender inequality and discrimination.
For more details, you can read the full report titled “Female Genital Mutilation: A Global Concern,” which provides the most comprehensive statistics on FGM and explains the varying dynamics and the progress of eradication efforts in different countries.
For additional information, the full article can be accessed at Jurist.org.