WHS25: Medicalisation of FGM recognised as a global health emergency

At the 2025 World Health Summit (WHS) in Berlin, the End FGM European Network joined global partners to host a powerful side event titled “Addressing Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting and its Medicalisation as a Global Health Emergency.”

The roundtable was co-organised on the 14th of October by End FGM EU, Orchid Project, Equality Now and The Girl Generation. It offered a unique platform within one of the world’s largest health gatherings to elevate FGM/C from a neglected issue to one requiring systemic, global health action.

Framing FGM/C as a global health priority

Over 230 million women and girls worldwide are survivors of FGM/C. The discussion emphasised the devastating lifelong impact of this practice: from chronic pain, infections, and childbirth complications to severe psychological trauma.

Dr. Pascale Allotey, Director of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research at the World Health Organization (WHO), highlighted WHO’s updated guidance on prevention and clinical management of FGM complications. She stressed that “health professionals must be part of the solution, not the problem,” urging stronger accountability to prevent medicalisation.

Psychotherapist and global advocate Dr. Leyla Hussein underlined the need to address the mental health consequences of FGM/C and the power of survivor-centred language in shaping healing and advocacy.

Challenging the myths: a global crisis, not a local issue

Marianne Nguena Kana, Director of the End FGM European Network, delivered a compelling intervention presenting findings from the global report The Time Is Now. Her remarks challenged the persistent misconception that FGM/C is a localised issue, emphasising that it is a global health and human rights emergency requiring urgent international response.

“FGM/C is not confined to one region or culture,” Marianne stated. “It affects almost every continent on our planet: at least 94 countries worldwide, from Asia and the Middle East to Europe and North America. This is a global crisis.”

She outlined the global scale and consequences:

• 230 million survivors and 4.4 million girls at risk each year.

• Increasing prevalence in Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, India) and the Middle East, and continued occurrence in Europe and North America through diaspora communities.

• The invisibility of survivors outside Africa perpetuates denial and prevents adequate responses.

Marianne stressed the urgent need to link FGM/C with sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), maternal mortality, and mental health, pointing to WHO’s 2024 updated guidelines and the clear relevance of FGM/C to multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 5 (Gender Equality).

She warned that with only five years left to achieve SDG target 5.3, the elimination of harmful practices, progress must accelerate 27 times faster to meet the 2030 goal. “Without urgent, coordinated action, especially within the health sector, we are catastrophically failing this target,” she said.

Marianne also underlined the economic and policy case for prevention, referencing UNFPA data showing that every euro invested in prevention yields a return of 14 to 18 euros through reduced healthcare costs and improved productivity.

“Within Europe, elimination is not a matter of capability but of political will and funding,” she noted. “We have the legal frameworks, from the Istanbul Convention to the EU Directive on Combating Violence Against Women, but we lack adequate, sustained investment. The EU’s next Multiannual Financial Framework must make FGM prevention a funded priority.”

She concluded her intervention with a powerful call to action: “In the time we are having this 20-minute conversation, one girl or woman will die from FGM/C. By the time this conference ends today, over 100 will have died. In one year, that's over 44,000 deaths equivalent to a major disaster occurring annually with no global attention, remaining largely invisible in global health priorities.”

Groundbreaking evidence on scale and impact

Professor James Rockey from the University of Birmingham reinforced Marianne’s message with new research showing that FGM/C is a leading cause of death among girls and young women in high-prevalence countries, with one girl dying every twelve minutes as a result of being cut. His data underscored the need to treat FGM/C as a health emergency on par with other global threats.

Medicalisation: a persistent barrier

The final discussion, featuring Dr. Maryam En-Nosse of FIGO and Divya Srinivasan from Equality Now, focused on the alarming medicalisation of FGM/C. They highlighted that one in four survivors were cut by health workers, a violation of medical ethics that undermines global prevention efforts. Speakers called for stronger regulation, education, and advocacy within the medical community to end this practice.

Towards global health accountability

In the closing discussion, participants explored how to translate these findings into policy, investment, and coordinated action. The consensus was clear: FGM/C must be recognised and addressed as a global health emergency, requiring system-wide response, intersectoral collaboration, and survivor leadership.

By convening experts from WHO, academia, medical associations, and civil society, the event marked a turning point in reframing FGM/C within global health priorities, linking it to gender equality, sexual and reproductive health, and the Sustainable Development Goals. End FGM EU thanks all partners and participants for their commitment and collaboration in advancing this critical global health agenda.

 
For more information on The Time Is Now report, click here.