The updated global estimates show a 15% increase in the total number of survivors, which translates to 30 million more girls and women, compared to data released eight years ago.
In 2016, findings from UNICEF analysis had shown that many boys and men were against FGM. In Ethiopia, for example, a country with one of the highest rates of FGM globally, male opposition to the practice was 87%.
Work to eliminate the practice by the UN’s target date of 2030 would need to be happening 27 times faster than it is now, Unicef says. FGM is not becoming more common globally, but more girls are being born in FGM-practising countries in comparison with the rest of the world.
The report, released on International Women’s Day, shows that the pace of progress to end FGM remains slow, lagging behind population growth, and off-pace to meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal to eliminate the practice.
"Female genital mutilation harms girls' bodies, dims their futures, and endangers their lives,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. "We’re also seeing a worrying trend that more girls are subjected to the practice at younger ages, many before their fifth birthday. That further reduces the window to intervene. We need to strengthen the efforts of ending this harmful practice.”
The report shows that the largest numbers are in African countries, accounting for 144 million cases, followed by 80 million in Asia and 6 million in the Middle East, with more estimated in small practicing communities and countries of migration elsewhere in the world.
The analysis also shows that 4 in 10 FGM survivors live in fragile and conflict-affected settings, where population growth is also fast.
However, the report also reveals that progress is possible and is picking up. Half of the progress made in the last 30 years happened in just the past decade.
Country examples include Kenya, declining from moderate to low prevalence, Sierra Leone, dropping from high to moderately high prevalence while it has begun to decline from a previously near-universal level in Egypt.
Attitudes around FGM are also changing. According to the report, around 400 million people in practicing countries in Africa and the Middle East, or two-thirds of the population, are opposed to the practice.
In Gambia, a bill to repeal its ban on FGM was tabled in parliament this week, embroiling the country in debate over rights, religion and culture. In Sierra Leone, the practice remains legal despite growing pressure for it to be criminalised. Three girls died during cutting ceremonies in the west African country earlier this year.
To eradicate FGM, UNICEF calls for leaders and communities to redouble their efforts to end gender discrimination and inequality, urgently invest in services for girls, promote girls’ agency and assets, prioritise girls' rights in laws and policies, and better track the prevalence of the practice through quality data.
--ChannelAfrica--
