The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has warned that no fewer than 4.5 million girls could be at risk of being subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM) in 2026, despite ongoing global efforts to eradicate the practice.
According to the UN agency, an estimated 230 million girls and women worldwide are currently living with the consequences of female genital mutilation, a harmful practice that involves altering or injuring female genitalia for non-medical reasons.
FGM is internationally recognised as a violation of human rights, with long-term physical, psychological, and sometimes life-threatening consequences for survivors.
UNFPA noted that when the procedure is carried out by healthcare professionals, it is often referred to as “medicalised” FGM. However, the agency stressed that even when performed in clinical settings with sterilised equipment, the practice remains unsafe, unnecessary, and unjustifiable.
“There is never any medical justification for female genital mutilation,” the agency said.
FGM remains a global issue, reported in 94 countries across all continents. UNFPA expressed concern that millions of girls and women continue to suffer its lasting effects, despite decades of advocacy and intervention.
Ahead of the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, observed annually on February 6, UNFPA challenged the perception that opposition to the practice is driven by foreign influence.
“One of the reasons FGM remains entrenched is the false notion that abandoning it is imposed from outside. We are busting this myth,” the agency stated.
Data from about one-third of countries where FGM is practised indicate a steady decline over the past three decades. In these countries, one in three girls is subjected to the practice today, compared to one in two in previous generations.
Globally, UNFPA said two-thirds of men and women now support ending female genital mutilation.
The agency urged governments, donors, communities, and individuals to intensify efforts to meet the global target of eliminating FGM by 2030.
“To protect these girls, we must invest in wider partnerships and cost-effective interventions that challenge the social norms that perpetuate this harmful practice,” UNFPA said.
It added that governments, civil society organisations, grassroots groups, girls, women, boys, and men all have critical roles to play as agents of change.
UNFPA also highlighted the growing impact of comprehensive sexuality education, noting that thousands of children worldwide are now learning about the dangers of FGM in schools.
According to the UN agency, Africa accounts for the largest share of female genital mutilation cases globally. In Ethiopia, about three-quarters of women and girls aged 15 to 49 have undergone some form of the practice.
However, UNFPA acknowledged that progress is being made in several countries through legal reforms and community-led initiatives.
In Djibouti, Eritrea, and Somalia, Islamic scholars issued a national fatwa in 2025, declaring that there are no religious grounds to justify female genital mutilation.
UNFPA described such actions as critical steps toward dismantling cultural and religious misconceptions that have sustained the practice for generations.
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