FGM/C: Why The World Is Falling Behind On Its Promise To End A Violent Practice By 2030
The global pledge to end female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) by 2030 is unravelling, not for lack of promises, but for lack of political courage and accountability.
Survivors and rights advocates are sounding the alarm as new evidence shows FGM/C rates have risen by 15 per cent in eight years, from about 200 million affected women and girls in 2016 to over 230 million in 2024, despite SDG 5.3 committing governments to end the practice by 2030.
Speaking at the SHE & Rights session 2026, Catherine Menganyi, a Kenyan nurse-epidemiologist and survivor of FGM/C, described the lifelong pain and trauma of the practice, and how she has turned her experience into activism to protect girls in her community.
“Ending FGM/C is not charity; it is justice,” she said, calling for community-led protection systems that make homes safe for girls at risk.
Programme Officer at ARROW and coordinator of the Asia Network to End FGM/C, Safiya Riyaz, warned that FGM/C, including its “medicalised” form, has no health benefits and violates medical ethics.
The World Health Organization and global medical bodies condemn the practice, which causes infections, haemorrhage, childbirth complications, sexual harm and lasting psychological trauma.
She noted that harmful social norms around “purity” and control of girls’ sexuality continue to sustain the practice in parts of Asia and Africa.
FGM/C is documented in at least 94 countries globally, including 13 in South and South-East Asia.
While 59 countries have specific laws banning the practice, prosecutions remain rare and survivors often face stigma, weak protection and re-traumatisation in justice systems.
A February 2026 Equality Now report highlights courts as a growing frontline in the fight against FGM/C, using strategic litigation to close legal gaps and defend hard-won protections, even as coordinated efforts in some countries seek to roll back anti-FGM/C laws under the guise of “culture” or “religion”.
Advocates say accountability mechanisms such as the UN’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) must be strengthened to keep pressure on governments.
FGM/C is a UPR indicator, enabling peer states, civil society and the public to track whether countries are turning commitments into laws, budgets and protection for girls.
With just four years to the 2030 deadline, campaigners warn that ending FGM/C cannot be siloed from the wider fight against gender-based violence, inequality and the denial of girls’ bodily autonomy.
The message from survivors is blunt: protecting girls is not a favour, it is a human rights obligation.
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