International Human Rights Day is a moment to reflect on the commitments made to uphold the rights and dignity of all people, acknowledge progress, and recognize injustices that still demand urgent attention. Among the most pressing of these issues is female genital mutilation (FGM/C), a harmful practice affecting 230 million girls and women worldwide, violating their fundamental human rights.
FGM/C involves the partial or full cutting or altering of female genitalia for non-medical reasons. Despite being practiced across diverse cultures, religions, and socioeconomic groups for thousands of years, it has no health benefits and can cause severe psychological, reproductive, sexual, and social harm, including the risk of death.
FGM/C is recognized internationally as a violation of women’s and girls’ rights. More than 200 million girls and women alive today have experienced FGM/C, with an additional 68 million at risk by 2030. The practice is explicitly referenced in Sustainable Development Goal 5.3, which calls for the elimination of harmful practices such as FGM/C and child marriage. Legal reforms, such as Sudan’s 2020 law criminalizing FGM/C, mark progress, but lasting change requires addressing cultural, social, and economic drivers of the practice.
Countries have made varying progress in combating FGM/C. The Gambia maintained its ban in 2024 after parliament rejected attempts to repeal it, highlighting the need to safeguard legal achievements. Kenya criminalizes FGM/C through the 2011 law and complements it with enforcement and community campaigns. Sierra Leone lacks explicit legislation, though regional courts have ruled this violates human rights obligations. Somalia prohibits FGM/C in its provisional constitution, but a national law is still needed. In the UK, FGM/C has been illegal since 1985, yet it persists in some diaspora communities, illustrating the global nature of the challenge.
Effective strategies to end FGM/C go beyond legal reform. Women and girls affected by FGM/C need access to medical care, psychosocial support, and safe spaces to heal. Comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education helps shift attitudes and encourages knowledge about bodily autonomy and consent. Engaging communities, including religious and traditional leaders, is crucial to challenge harmful norms, while supporting practitioners with alternative livelihoods can reduce reliance on the practice. Amplifying local voices, particularly those of women and youth, ensures interventions are culturally relevant and sustainable.
FGM/C is intertwined with broader human rights issues, such as child marriage, poverty, limited education, and gender-based violence. Efforts to eliminate FGM/C, like Colombia’s 2025 ban on child marriage, show progress, but intersecting challenges persist, highlighting the ongoing struggle to ensure girls’ and women’s rights are fully realized. Advocacy led by survivors, activists, and communities is central to driving meaningful, gender-transformative change.
Sustained progress requires collaboration and local leadership. Human Rights Day reminds us that rights are universal, but millions of girls cannot access them fully. Organizations such as The Girl Generation, Women of Grace, Frontline Ending FGM, FORWARD, and Save a Girl Save a Generation play a critical role in advocacy, community engagement, survivor support, and education to eliminate FGM/C. Immediate support is available for those at risk, including police services in emergencies and the NSPCC FGM helpline for advice and assistance.
