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Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C)
Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), comprises all procedures that involve the partial or total removal of the female external genitalia and/or injury to the female genital organs for cultural or any other non-therapeutic reasons. FGM/C, which is linked to deeply rooted traditions and some religious and cultural beliefs, is recognized as a human rights violation and is one of many manifestations of gender inequality.
In most cases, FGM/C is carried out in unhygienic and unsanitary conditions with unsterilized knives or blades (or any sharp instruments) without any anesthesia. Along with the risk of various infections and HIV transmission, risks include infertility, complications during childbirth, chronic pain and other long-term complications. FGM/C is usually performed on minor girls. Directly or indirectly, FGM/C can lead to death.
Save the Children is working to prevent FGM through community mobilization and reform. Through community awareness, strong legislation and enforcement and community-based programming, misconceptions about harmful practices can be broken down and eventually eradicated. Challenging gender norms is also an important part of this work. Save the Children is working with local authorities, traditional leaders and community members as well as involving and targeting churches, schools, mosques and religious leaders and elders in order to prevent and eradicate FGM/C. A reduction in FGM, sexual violence and child marriage will reduce the levels of maternal and infant mortality due to under-age pregnancies and unsafe pregnancies and delivery.
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State of World Population 2020: Against my will- Defying the practices that harm women and girls and undermine equality
Opening with a powerful Call to Action from UNFPA's Executive Director and United Nations Under-Secretary-General Dr. Natalia Kanem, this report focuses on three harmful practices: femal genital mutilation (FGM), child marriage, and son preference. Year 2
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Resilience in Action: Lessons learned from the joint programme during the COVID-19 crisis
The UNFPA has estimated that two million cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) will take place during the COVID-19 pandemic that otherwise would have been avoided. Realizing the limited research on FGM in the COVID-19 crisis, this brief was developed
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Accelerating Change towards Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: Effects of community dialogues on FGM/C and child marriage
Women and girls face extreme forms of violations in Somalia; common among them is Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C). National statistics estimates over 97% of girls aged 15 to 19 years have undergone FGM/C. To accelerate change towards reduction i
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International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education
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Violence Against Women: Facts everyone should know
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Changing Social Norms in Somalia: Baseline Report on CHANGES Project addressing women empowerment, female circumcision and early marriage
Somalia is ranked as one of the bottom five countries in terms of gender inequality. Besides high rates of poverty and vulnerability, the country is struggling to make progress in most social indicators. While high vulnerability to various insecurity and
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A State-of-the-Art Synthesis on Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: What do we know now?
Due to the rising prominence of efforts to end female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) among many national and global agendas, a clear understanding of scale and scope of the practice is needed. This “state-of-the-art synthesis offers a review of the mo
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FGM and Asylum in Europe
This mini-feature, a set of five articles published by Forced Migration, explores the practice of FGM in the context of asylum in Europe. FGM is the practice of Female Genital Mutilation, also known as FGM/C – female genital mutilation/cutting. Each artic
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Child Marriage and Female Circumcision (FGM/C): Evidence from Ethiopia
Child marriage and female circumcision are linked practices that are widespread in Sub-Saharan Africa; they are common traditions in Ethiopia. Although regional bodies and governments have made strong commitments to ending both practices, they still remai
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No Way Out: Child marriage and human rights abuses in Tanzania
Tanzania’s Marriage Act of 1971 sets the minimum age at 18 for boys and 15 for girls with parental consent. It also allows boys and girls to marriage at age 14 with a court’s approval. Human Rights Watch analyzed the child protection measures available in
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Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: Data and Trends
This document is a "wall chart" that accompanys the full Population Reference Bureau report titled: Ending Femal Genital Mutilation/Cutting: Lessons from a decade of progress. This wall chart provides statistical data with graphs and charts for visualizi
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Passing the Test- the real cost of being a student
This report examines the research undertaken by a consortium of government and non-government agencies working in Liberian schools, commissioned to research School Related Gender Based Violence. Of the students who responded and took part in the study, ne