17th March 2020
The importance of eliminating FGM/C is recognised within Goal 5 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), dedicated to achieving gender equality. Target 5.3 under this goal requires all 193 countries that signed onto the SDGs to take action to “eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation”.
With only seven years left to eradicate this widespread and harmful practice affecting millions of women and girls globally by 2030, the time to take stock and accelerate action is now.
This report, released in March 2020 in partnership with the End FGM European Network and the US End FGM/C Network, calls for global action to end the practice.* **
UPDATE: In 2024, new statistics were released by UNICEF showing 230 million women and girls around the world are affected by FGM, a 15% increase or 30 million more girls and women being subjected to FGM, compared to the data released eight years ago. This figure now includes data on FGM prevalence in Asia (80 million), the Middle East (6 million), and countries that have small practising communities and are destination countries for migration (1-2 million).