Message from the Regional Director, Dr Matshidiso Moeti
The theme of this year’s International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) on 6 February is "No Time for Global Inaction: Unite, Fund, and Act to end FGM." This theme highlights that accelerated action is needed to save girls from this intentional disfigurement that violates their human rights and adversely affects their health and well-being.
Globally one in three girls aged 15 to 19 years has undergone FGM.
The short-term health risks of FGM include severe pain, infection, haemorrhaging and may lead to death. The long-term risks include chronic genital, reproductive health and urinary infections, menstrual problems, infertility, and obstetric complications. In countries affected by this practice, seven out of ten girls and women feel that FGM should be abandoned.
In the WHO African Region, FGM is practiced in 26 countries. FGM has been banned in 22 of these countries. However, in Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali and Sierra Leone FGM has yet to be banned.
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 crisis has increased the risk of this harmful practice. School closures and stay-at-home orders have disrupted programmes resulting in reduced access to prevention messages and services. Families facing financial crisis may also be under more pressure to have their daughters get married, and FGM is often a precursor to marriage. The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) estimate that two million additional cases of FGM may occur in the next 10 years in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.
Some countries are making good progress in ending FGM. For example, Burkina Faso has incorporated prevention of FGM and care for women and girls affected by it, into the midwifery curriculum. They have developed an FGM surveillance model based around documenting FGM in the context of antenatal care. This experience shows it is possible to measure FGM prevalence through the health sector.
At WHO we are working with the Member States, partners, and donors to eliminate FGM, including by advocating with governments, professional associations, communities, and religious leaders to prevent this harmful practice. We are also working with countries to develop policies, guidelines, tools and training materials for health workers to provide prevention services and care for girls and women who have undergone FGM.
Today, I call on all Member States and donors to invest more in combatting FGM and to include the management of health complications from female genital mutilation in the list of essential health services for both development and humanitarian programmes. In this way, we can protect girls, women, and communities from the dangers of female genital mutilation.