Health complications, rights, policy, strategies and pushback
Female genital mutilation (FGM) comprises all procedures that involve the partial or total removal of external genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. FGM constitutes a severe violation of human rights, as acknowledged by international standards and resolutions. It inflicts irreparable harm on women and girls, impairing their rights to health, physical integrity, and freedom from violence and discrimination1. It is estimated that over 230 million girls and women alive today have undergone some form of FGM. UNFPA has estimated that 68 million girls are at risk of undergoing the practice between 2015 and 20302.
The West & Central Africa region counts 17 of the 27 countries where female genital mutilation is prevalent, including countries such as Guinea where nine out of 10 girls have experienced female genital mutilation, or Mali and Sierra Leone with rates well over 80 per cent. Nigeria has the largest absolute number of women and girls undergoing FGM, which alone accounts for 22 per cent of the 68 million women and girls at risk of FGM by 2030. FGM spreads across West and Central Africa, including cross-border practices due to tribal and ethnic affiliations beyond official country limits, sometimes allowing families to get girls cut in neighbouring countries with full impunity. The practice, driven by gender inequality, has short and long term consequences for girls and women.
This webinar aims to raise awareness about the severe health consequences of female genital mutilation (FGM). The webinar will focus on the physical and mental health impact these practices have on individuals, and communities, emphasizing the need for comprehensive prevention and intervention strategies. The webinar will also highlight the importance of pushing back on the trend on medicalization of FGM and reaffirm that medicalized FGM remains a human rights violation - an urgent discussion for countries such as The Gambia where there is a current threat of repeal of the anti-FGM clause of the 2015 Women’s Amendment Law and an undertone of a move towards medicalization as a “safer” alternative to traditional cutters.