In 2012, the United Nations General Assembly declared 6 February as the
International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation.
This very day is being observed to raise awareness of the situation and to promote serious action against the problem.
Female genital mutilation (FGM) comprises all procedures that involve altering or
injuring the female genitalia for non-medical reasons and is recognized
internationally as a violation of the human rights, the health and the integrity of
girls and women.
Girls who undergo female genital mutilation face short-term complications such as
severe pain, shock, excessive bleeding, infections, and difficulty in passing urine,
as well as long-term consequences for their sexual and reproductive health and
mental health.
Although primarily concentrated in 30 countries in Africa and the Middle East,
female genital mutilation is a universal problem and is also practiced in some
countries in Asia and Latin America.
Female genital mutilation continues to persist amongst immigrant populations living in Western Europe, North America,Australia and New Zealand.
To promote the elimination of female genital mutilation, coordinated and
systematic efforts are needed, and they must engage whole communities and focus
on human rights, gender equality, sexual education and attention to the needs of
women and girls who suffer from its consequences.
The short-term health risks of FGM include severe pain, infection, haemorrhaging
and may lead to death. The long-term risks include chronic genital, reproductive
health and urinary infections, menstrual problems, infertility, and obstetric complications.
In countries affected by this practice, seven out of ten girls and
women feel that FGM should be abandoned.
In the WHO African Region, FGM is practiced in 26 countries. FGM has been
banned in 22 of these countries.
However, in Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali and Sierra Leone FGM it yet to be banned.
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 crisis has increased the risk of this harmful practice.
School closures and stay-at-home orders have disrupted programmes resulting in
reduced access to prevention messages and services.
Families facing financial crisis may also be under more pressure to have their daughters get married, and FGM is often a precursor to marriage. An estimated 68 million girls are at risk of
being mutilated by 2030.
UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund), jointly with UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund), leads the largest global programme to accelerate the elimination of female genital mutilation.
It is known as the Joint Programme, which currently focuses on 17
countries in Africa and the Middle East and also supports regional and global
initiatives.
International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation 2021
The 2021 theme for the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of
Female Genital Mutilation and the Inter-African Committee on Traditional
Practices (IAC) is: “No Time for Global Inaction, Unite, Fund, and Act to End
Female Genital Mutilation.”
To observe the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation,
UNFPA is conducting an exposition that focuses on unethical traditions that are
still common in many regions of the world.
The meeting will occur at the UN Headquarters.
