Female Genital Mutilation Remains a Global Human Rights Crisis
- 230 Million Women and Girls Living with the Consequences of FGM
- Progress Is Real but Fragile: Why the 2030 Target Is at Risk
- What Works to End FGM: Community Leadership, Education and Survivor Support
- Investment in Ending FGM Delivers Tenfold Returns, Says UN
- Funding Cuts and Medicalisation Threaten Decades of Gains
UN Agencies Reaffirm Global Commitment on International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM
Over 4.5 million girls face the risk of female genital mutilation in 2026, UN leaders warn. Funding cuts and global pushback threaten progress toward ending FGM by 2030.
Over four million girls still at risk of female genital mutilation: UN leaders call for sustained commitment and investment to end FGM
Joint statement by the UNFPA Executive Director, UNICEF Executive Director, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Women Executive Director, WHO Director-General, and UNESCO Director-General on the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation
Geneva 6 February 2026 | In 2026 alone, an estimated 4.5 million girls – many under the age of five – are at risk of undergoing female genital mutilation (FGM). Currently, more than 230 million girls and women are living with its lifelong consequences.
The joint statement said:
“On the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, we reaffirm our commitment to end female genital mutilation for every girl and every woman at risk, and to continue working to ensure those subjected to this harmful practice have access to quality and appropriate services”,
Female genital mutilation: violation of human rights
Female genital mutilation is a violation of human rights and cannot be justified on any grounds. It compromises girls’ and women’s physical and mental health and can lead to serious, lifelong complications, with treatment costs estimated at about US$ 1.4 billion every year.
Interventions aimed at ending female genital mutilation over the last three decades are having an impact, with nearly two-thirds of the population in countries where it is prevalent expressing support for its elimination. After decades of slow change, progress against female genital mutilation is accelerating: half of all gains since 1990 were achieved in the past decade reducing the number of girls subjected to FGM from one in two to one in three. We need to build on this momentum and speed up progress to meet the Sustainable Development Goal target of ending female genital mutilation by 2030.
The statement said:
“We know what works. Health education, engaging religious and community leaders, parents and health workers and the use of traditional and social media are effective strategies to end the practice. We must invest in community-led movements – including grassroots and youth networks – and strengthen education through both formal and community-based approaches. We need to amplify prevention messages by involving trusted opinion leaders, including health workers. And we must support survivors by ensuring they have access to comprehensive, context-tailored health care, psychosocial support, and legal assistance.”
Every dollar invested in ending female genital mutilation yields a tenfold return. An investment of US$ 2.8 billion can prevent 20 million cases and generate US$ 28 billion in investment returns.
The statement said:
“As we approach 2030, gains achieved over decades are at risk as global investment and support wane. Funding cuts and declining international investment in health, education, and child protection programmes are already constraining efforts to prevent female genital mutilation and support survivors. Further, the growing systematic pushback on efforts to end female genital mutilation, compounded by dangerous arguments that it is acceptable when carried out by doctors or health workers, adds more hurdles to elimination efforts. Without adequate and predictable financing, community outreach programmes risk being scaled back, frontline services weakened, and progress reversed – placing millions more girls at risk at a critical moment in the push to meet the 2030 target.”
On this occasion, the UN agencies stated that, together with survivors and local and global public and private partners, we reaffirm our commitment and efforts to end female genital mutilation once and for all.
