Breaking the Chains: Combatting Female Genital Mutilation in Africa
Every 11 seconds, another girl is subjected to FGM. Together, we can end this human rights violation and protect future generations.
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) represents one of the most widespread human rights violations affecting women and girls today. This deeply rooted cultural practice continues to devastate lives across Africa and beyond. But change is possible—and it starts with you.
The Devastating Impact of Female Genital Mutilation
Female Genital Mutilation, also known as female circumcision or excision, involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia for non-medical reasons. This brutal practice affects at least 200 million girls and women alive today across 30 countries, with the majority concentrated in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.
The Harsh Reality
Every year, approximately 3 million girls are at risk of undergoing FGM before their 15th birthday. That’s one girl every 11 seconds. Without urgent intervention, an additional 68 million girls could be cut by 2030.
Immediate and Long-Term Health Consequences
The physical and psychological trauma caused by FGM is devastating and lifelong:
- Severe pain and shock from the procedure, often performed without anesthesia
- Excessive bleeding that can lead to death
- Infections including tetanus, HIV, and hepatitis
- Urinary problems and chronic urinary tract infections
- Menstrual difficulties and chronic pain
- Childbirth complications including obstetric fistula and newborn deaths
- Psychological trauma including PTSD, anxiety, and depression
- Sexual dysfunction and painful intercourse
Medical Facts
Girls who undergo FGM are 2-3 times more likely to experience complications during childbirth. Their babies are also at higher risk of dying during delivery.
No health benefits: FGM has no medical benefits and only causes harm. It violates the rights to health, security, and freedom from torture.
Legal and Policy Frameworks: Progress and Gaps
Significant progress has been made in recent decades to criminalize FGM and protect girls:
- International Law: FGM is recognized as a human rights violation by the UN, WHO, and UNICEF
- National Legislation: Over 40 countries have enacted laws banning FGM
- Regional Commitments: The African Union’s Protocol on Women’s Rights explicitly prohibits FGM
- Sustainable Development Goals: Target 5.3 aims to eliminate all harmful practices including FGM by 2030
However, legal frameworks alone are not enough. Many countries with anti-FGM laws still see high prevalence rates due to weak enforcement, lack of awareness, and deeply entrenched cultural beliefs.
Grassroots Initiatives and Community Engagement
Real, sustainable change happens at the community level. Successful FGM abandonment programs share common elements:
Community-Led Dialogues
Engaging entire communities—elders, religious leaders, men, women, and youth—in open discussions about the harms of FGM and alternative rites of passage.
Education Programs
Providing comprehensive education about health, human rights, and the legal consequences of FGM to empower communities to make informed decisions.
Religious Engagement
Working with imams and religious scholars to clarify that FGM is not a religious requirement in Islam or Christianity.
Women’s Empowerment
Supporting women’s economic independence and leadership roles, enabling them to challenge harmful traditional practices.
Success Stories: Change is Possible
In Senegal, the Tostan program has facilitated the public declaration of over 8,000 communities abandoning FGM and child marriage. In Kenya, alternative rites of passage programs have reached thousands of girls, allowing them to celebrate their transition to womanhood without cutting.
What Works
Community-led abandonment is more sustainable than top-down enforcement. When entire communities collectively decide to abandon FGM, no single family faces social ostracism.
Key success factors include: intergenerational dialogue, public declarations, alternative income sources for former cutters, and celebration of new traditions.
The Role of Healthcare Professionals
Healthcare workers are on the front lines of FGM prevention and care:
- Prevention: Educating communities about health risks and providing evidence-based information
- Early detection: Identifying girls at risk and intervening through child protection systems
- Treatment: Providing specialized care for complications including defibulation surgery
- Counseling: Offering psychological support to survivors
- Training: Ensuring medical professionals refuse to medicalize FGM (which is still practiced in some countries)
Empowering Women and Girls: The Path Forward
Ending FGM requires a comprehensive, multi-sectoral approach that addresses root causes:
Education as Liberation
Girls who attend school are significantly less likely to undergo FGM. Education empowers girls with knowledge about their rights, delays marriage, and provides economic opportunities that reduce dependence on traditional practices.
Economic Empowerment
Supporting women’s access to credit, vocational training, and entrepreneurship opportunities enables them to challenge harmful norms and become agents of change in their communities.
Youth Leadership
Young people are powerful advocates for change. Youth-led campaigns, peer education programs, and digital activism are shifting attitudes and creating social movements against FGM.
Media and Technology
Social media campaigns, radio programs, and mobile technology are reaching remote communities, spreading awareness, and connecting survivors with support services.
Measuring Progress and Future Challenges
While prevalence rates have declined in several countries, progress is uneven and too slow:
The Challenge Ahead
At current rates of progress, FGM will not be eliminated by 2030. Population growth in high-prevalence countries means that even as percentages decline, the absolute number of girls at risk may increase.
COVID-19 impact: The pandemic has reversed progress, with school closures and economic hardship putting millions more girls at risk.
What Needs to Happen
- Increased funding: Current investment in FGM prevention is a fraction of what’s needed to achieve SDG Target 5.3
- Cross-border cooperation: Addressing FGM in migration contexts and preventing cross-border cutting
- Data and research: Better data to identify hotspots and measure program effectiveness
- Political will: Stronger government commitment to enforce laws and fund prevention programs
- Global solidarity: International support for grassroots organizations doing the work on the ground
Your Donation Can Save Lives
Every euro you contribute helps us protect girls at risk, support survivors, and empower communities to abandon FGM. Together, we can break the chains of this harmful practice.
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Be Part of the Solution
Ending FGM requires collective action. Whether you donate, volunteer, advocate, or simply spread awareness—your contribution matters.
Frequently Asked Questions About FGM
What is Female Genital Mutilation?
FGM comprises all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. It’s typically performed on girls between infancy and age 15.
Where is FGM practiced?
FGM is practiced in at least 30 countries across Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. It’s also found in diaspora communities in Europe, North America, and Australia due to migration.
Is FGM a religious requirement?
No. FGM is not required by Islam or Christianity. Many religious leaders have spoken out against it, clarifying that it’s a cultural practice, not a religious obligation.
Is FGM illegal?
FGM is illegal in over 40 countries and is recognized as a human rights violation by international law. However, enforcement remains a challenge in many regions.
How can I help end FGM?
You can donate to organizations working on FGM prevention, raise awareness in your community, support survivors, advocate for stronger laws, and educate others about the harms of FGM.
How do you protect girls at risk?
We work with communities to create protective environments through education, alternative rites of passage, economic empowerment, and strengthening child protection systems.