FGM/C On The Rise: Global Pledge Falters As Cases Jump 15% In Eight Years
Shobha Shukla
Despite a global promise to eliminate female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) by 2030, the harmful practice is not declining, it is accelerating.
New data reveal a troubling 15 per cent rise in cases over the past eight years, exposing a widening gap between international commitments and the lived realities of millions of girls and women.
Ten years ago, world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly pledged to end FGM/C under Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5.3.
Yet figures show that the number of affected women and girls has increased from about 200 million in 2016 to over 230 million in 2024.
Today, more than 230 million girls and women across 92 countries are living with the consequences of FGM/C.
The practice remains most prevalent in Africa, accounting for about 144 million cases, followed by Asia with 80 million and the Middle East with six million.
Without urgent and accelerated action, an estimated additional 27 million girls could be subjected to the practice by 2030.
FGM/C is internationally recognised as a gross violation of human rights. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), it reflects deep-rooted gender inequality and constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against girls and women.
It is almost always carried out on minors, violating children’s rights as well as the rights to health, security, physical integrity, bodily autonomy, and freedom from torture or cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.
In some cases, it also violates the right to life.
“We cannot meet the SDGs when half the population is harmed, silenced or excluded,” said Dr Huda Syyed, an Australia-based researcher, Founder of Sahara Sisters’ Collective and a key member of the Asian Network to End FGM/C. “Development justice demands that policies centre women’s safety, agency and bodily integrity. FGM/C is a clear human rights violation.”
Experts point to patriarchy as a key driver of the practice, sustained by social norms that normalise male privilege while denying women and girls autonomy over their bodies.
Shame, secrecy and silence surrounding female bodies further entrench the practice across generations.
There is no medical justification for FGM/C, and it is never safe.
WHO strongly urges health workers not to perform it, stressing that the so-called “medicalised” FGM/C violates medical ethics and human rights.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) also maintains that under no circumstances does the practice align with the right to health, life, non-discrimination or freedom from violence.
Speaking during a SHE & Rights (Sexual Health with Equity & Rights) session hosted by multiple global health and women’s rights organisations, Dr Syyed condemned the medicalisation of FGM/C in all its forms.
She noted that many girls are subjected to the procedure without informed consent, often deceived about where they are being taken.
“We need to approach communities with a trauma-informed lens to dismantle shame and secrecy,” she said. “Ending FGM/C is not a marginal issue, it is central to gender justice, bodily autonomy, public health, human rights and the rights of the girl child.”
FGM/C includes all procedures involving the partial or total removal of external female genitalia or other injury to female genital organs for non-medical reasons.
It has no health benefits and can cause severe bleeding, infections, urinary and menstrual problems, sexual dysfunction, childbirth complications and increased risk of newborn deaths.
Long-term consequences also include psychological trauma such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Beyond the human cost, the economic burden is enormous. Treating health complications arising from FGM/C is estimated to cost health systems about US$1.4 billion annually, a figure expected to rise unless the practice is urgently abandoned.
With just five years left to achieve the SDGs, advocates are calling for stronger accountability and renewed commitment.
Ending FGM/C is both a human rights imperative and a prerequisite for achieving gender equality and sustainable development.
Shobha Shukla is a feminist, health and development justice advocate and the founding Managing Editor and Executive Director of Citizen News Service (CNS).
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