The long-awaited law to end FGM in the East African community

East African Community headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania. Image courtesy: EAC

Female genital mutilation (FGM) refers to any procedure involving the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs, for non-medical reasons. It is a harmful practice that is typically performed on girls and young women, often under the guise of cultural, religious, or social tradition. At its core, FGM derives from gender inequality and power imbalance between the sexes, with the underlying driver being the need to control the sexuality of women and girls. It is rooted in discriminatory gender norms that view women and girls as subordinate in society and aim to regulate their sexual behaviour and maintain this status quo. Efforts to end FGM remain hindered by reluctance from governments to act, particularly in countries not widely associated with FGM. Other obstacles include weak legal protections, insufficient data, low awareness, and a lack of funding and decisive action from the international community.

Within the East African Community (EAC), FGM remains a serious and widespread human rights violation affecting millions of girls and women. The national prevalence of the Partner States varies, from 15% in Kenya to 8% in Tanzania, 0.2% in Uganda, 1% in South Sudan, and 99% in Somalia. In Kenya and Tanzania, the prevalence rates within some ethnic communities are as high as 90%. Data on FGM in Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo remains limited or unavailable, further masking the true scale of the problem.

Despite most EAC Partner States having national legislation banning FGM, legal loopholes remain especially when it comes to cross-border and medicalised FGM. Many families continue to take girls across national borders for cutting, exploiting gaps in enforcement. As it stands, only Kenya and Uganda explicitly criminalize cross-border FGM. This makes it clear that a unified, regional law is urgently needed to protect women and girls across all EAC Partner States.

Why the EAC Anti-FGM Bill matters now

The East African Community Elimination of FGM Bill has been reintroduced at the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) in May 2025. This is a long-overdue historic step toward eradicating FGM across the region.

Here’s why this law matters:

• It creates a unified legal framework across all EAC Partner States, ensuring consistent definitions, penalties, and protections.
• It criminalizes cross-border FGM and closes dangerous loopholes that allow perpetrators to evade justice.
• It bans medicalized FGM, making it a criminal offence for healthcare professionals to perform or facilitate FGM.
• It defines FGM clearly and prohibits it unconditionally, recognizing that consent is not a defense for this human rights violation.
• It mandates the nomination of national focal points, the training for frontline workers, and regular reporting, thereby strengthening accountability at every level.
• It requires the inclusion of information on FGM within the national educational curriculum and health services to shift cultural and social norms and empower communities to end the practice.

Our role in advancing the regional FGM prohibition law

At Equality Now, we are committed to supporting advocacy efforts to secure the adoption of the EAC Elimination of FGM  Bill, which is a this critical legislative milestone, and ensure its effective implementation, in collaboration with the UNFPA, the Eastern Africa Sub-regional Support Initiative (EASSI), the Kenyan Anti-FGM Board, and other national and regional civil society organisations.

Be part of the movement

This is a turning point for girls and women in East Africa. The EAC Elimination of FGM  Bill (2025) isn’t just about closing legal gaps. It’s about advancing equality, dignity, and the right to live free from violence. Let’s work together to ensure its passage and enforcement.