Geneva — A new report has compiled evidence of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in 94 countries, revealing that this harmful practice exists in more communities than previously recognized.
The number of girls and women affected or at risk exceeds earlier estimates.
The report, titled 'The Time Is Now: End Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting, An Urgent Need for a Global Response - Five-Year Update,' is produced by the End FGM European Network, Equality Now, and The U.S. Network to End FGM/C.
It consolidates data about the nature and practice of FGM/C across different countries.
Small-scale surveys, estimates, and personal accounts from survivors, activists, and grassroots organizations offer new insights into the urgent need to expand protection and prevention efforts.
Efforts to end FGM/C are hampered by governments' reluctance to act, particularly in countries not widely associated with the practice.
Additional challenges include weak legal protections, insufficient data, low awareness, and a lack of funding and decisive international action.
This research follows up on the group's 2020 report, which revealed that the global extent of FGM/C was being severely underestimated.
Since then, the practice has been identified in local communities in Azerbaijan, Cambodia, and Vietnam, with further evidence gathered in Colombia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, and the United Arab Emirates.
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Tania Hosseinian from the End FGM European Network emphasized that access to accurate, up-to-date data is essential for understanding the full scope of FGM/C and for developing and assessing laws and policies that ensure no one is left behind.
"Mounting evidence clearly shows that FGM/C is a global issue demanding a coordinated worldwide response," says Divya Srinivasan from Equality Now.
She added; "To end FGM/C, governments, international bodies, and donors must recognize the extent of the problem, strengthen their political commitments to address it, and prioritize funding, especially in overlooked regions and communities."
Ending FGM/C requires a global yet nuanced strategy that takes into account the different ways it is practiced across regions and communities. With Sustainable Development Goal 5.3 aiming to eradicate FGM/C by 2030, only five years remain to accelerate and globalize efforts.
Transformative social change demands a collaborative, multi-pronged, survivor-centered approach, which includes the enactment and enforcement of strong legal protections alongside community engagement to raise awareness about FGM/C's harms and legal consequences.
Caitlin LeMay from the U.S. End FGM/C Network concludes, "Millions of individuals around the world live with the lifelong consequences of FGM/C.
Their courage in sharing their stories has brought global attention to this harmful practice and strengthened the movement to end it."
"Survivors, wherever they live, must have access to adequate, affordable, and quality services that are gender-sensitive, child-sensitive, and culturally appropriate, ensuring their voices remain central in the fight against FGM/C," LeMay added.
