The Time is Now: End Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting, An Urgent Need for Global Response 2025
Released in February 2025, The Time is Now: End Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting, An Urgent Need for Global Response 2025 is a comprehensive update to the original 2020 edition, reflecting the most recent global data on female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). It highlights the urgency of eradicating FGM/C by 2030 and provides actionable recommendations for governments, human rights bodies, and civil society organizations. Developed in partnership with Equality Now and the US End FGM/C Network, the report is a vital resource for driving international efforts to end this harmful practice.
What’s inside the report?
- A collation of the latest research demonstrating that FGM/C is happening in 94 countries across the world, including in newly identified countries of Azerbaijan, Vietnam, and Cambodia, highlighting the practice’s global scope.
- Analysis of legal and resource gaps, highlighting the underfunding of global efforts and the need for urgent investment in MENA and Asia.
- An exploration of rising backlash against anti-FGM/C laws and its impact on the progress made so far.
- Detailed recommendations to strengthen global political commitment, enforce laws, and prioritize survivor-focused policies.
- A call for international cooperation to meet the global goal of eradicating FGM/C by 2030.
Who’s it for?
- National and local governments
- Regional and international human rights bodies
- Activists and changemakers
- Judiciary and law enforcement
- Civil society organizations
- Journalists
Key findings
1. FGM/C is occurring in at least 94 countries globally
- The report collates evidence from indirect estimates, small-scale research surveys, survivor testimonies, and news reports to provide information on the practice of FGM/C in 94 countries across the world, including 12 countries in Asia and 11 countries in the Middle East
- UNICEF data from 2024 shows that FGM/C affects 230 million women and girls worldwide, with specific prevalence data showing 80 million in Asia, 6 million in the Middle East, and 1–2 million in small or diaspora communities.
- Recent research demonstrates for the first time that FGM/C is occurring in Azerbaijan, Vietnam, and Cambodia, highlighting the practice’s global scope.
- FGM/C is documented on every continent except Antarctica.
2. Legal and resource gaps persist
- Only 59 of the 94 countries with documented FGM/C have specific national laws or provisions addressing the practice.
- There has been progress since 2020, with Sudan, Indonesia, Finland, Poland, and the United States passing new federal laws against FGM/C, while other countries strengthened their laws (such as France requiring education or awareness-raising on FGM/C in schools), passed laws at the state level (such as Galmudug state in Somalia), or adopted new legislation at the regional level as seen in the European Union.
- However, rising backlash, as seen in challenges to anti-FGM/C laws in countries like Kenya and The Gambia in recent years, risks reversing years of hard-fought gains
- Funding for efforts to end FGM/C remains severely low and is not distributed in all regions where FGM/C takes place, regions like MENA, Africa, and Asia are severely underfunded despite significant prevalence rates.
3. Survivor stories: Voices from the movement
- Survivor testimonies from 7 countries from Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas reveal the lived realities of FGM/C and efforts to end it, highlighting experiences from countries like the Maldives and Colombia, where there is a dearth of survivor voices in public conversations.
- Stories highlight key themes such as medicalized FGM/C, intersectionality, the impact of genital mutilation on non-binary and intersex persons, and grassroots resistance in the face of backlash.
- Survivors emphasize the urgent need for stronger protections, survivor-centered policies, and sustained funding.
4. Global and nuanced action is critical
- A tailored, region-specific approach is essential to address variations in FGM/C practices.
- Improved data collection, increased funding, and survivor-focused policies are necessary for sustained impact.
5. Call to action: End FGM/C now
- Strengthen political commitment to prioritize FGM/C globally.
- Expand research to close data gaps and track progress.
- Scale resources, enforce comprehensive laws, and provide holistic survivor support.
