Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: A statistical overview and exploration of the dynamics of change

A new report from UNICEF analyses prevalence and trends in female genital mutilation/cutting in 29 countries. Drawing on data from more than 70 nationally representative surveys over a 20-year period, the report finds that the practice has declined in a number of countries. Other important changes are under way. Over the last two decades, reliable data on FGM/C have been generated through two major sources: the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), supported by UNICEF. The new UNICEF report reviews all available DHS and MICS data and presents the most comprehensive compilation to date of statistics and analyses on FGM/C. It covers all 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East where FGM/C is concentrated and includes, for the first time, statistics from countries where representative survey data were lacking. The report highlights trends across countries, and it examines differentials in prevalence according to social, economic, demographic and other variables. The findings add crucial evidence that sheds further light on how abandonment of harmful social norms can be accelerated