International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation 2021

International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is observed on February 6 to raise awareness and educate people about the dangers of female genital mutilation (FGM) and to take concrete actions against it. In December 2012, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted a resolution on the elimination of female genital mutilation.

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is defined by WHO (World Health Organisation) and the UN agencies as “the partial or total removal of the female external genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons”.

Who is at risk?

FGM is practiced as a tradition in many communities in 28 countries in Africa and in some countries in Asia and the Middle East. More than 200 million girls and women alive today have been subjected to the practice in 30 countries; and more than 3 million girls are estimated to be at risk for FGM annually. The causes of female genital mutilation include a mix of cultural, religious and social factors within families and communities.

It reflects deep-rooted inequality between the sexes, and constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against women and girls. The practice also violates their rights to health, security and physical integrity, their right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and their right to life when the procedure results in death.

Theme 2021: “No Time for Global Inaction: Unite, Fund, and Act to End Female Genital Mutilation”

During COVID-19 pandemic “crisis within a crisis” is experienced in many countries in the form of increase in female genital mutilation hence it is significant to recreate a world enabling women & girls to have a voice, choice and control over their own lives.

This can be made possible with systemic efforts and coordination by global communities.

No health benefits, only harm

FGM involves removing and damaging healthy and normal female genital tissue, hence it interferes with the natural functions of girls' and women's bodies. It has no health benefits, and it harms girls and women with many health problems.

Health complications of FGM

Immediate complications are: Severe pain, shock, haemorrhage (bleeding), tetanus or sepsis (bacterial infection), urine retention, open sores in the genital region and injury to nearby genital tissue and death. 

Long-term consequences can be:

• Urinary problems (painful urination, urinary tract infections);
• vaginal problems (discharge, itching, bacterial vaginosis and other infections);
• menstrual problems (painful menstruations, difficulty in passing menstrual blood)
• scar tissue and keloid formation;
• infertility;  
• sexual problems (pain during intercourse, decreased satisfaction);
• an increased risk of childbirth complications ( such as difficult delivery, excessive bleeding, caesarean section, need to resuscitate the baby) and newborn deaths;
• the need for later surgeries; and
• Psychological problems (such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, low self-esteem).

Although the practice of FGM cannot be justified by medical reasons, in many countries the procedure is performed by a health-care provider. According to new WHO guidelines, health-care providers should know:

• FGM is a violation of human rights.
• FGM must never be performed (not even by a health-care provider).

If the practice continues, around 86 million additional girls globally will be subjected to this torture by 2030. Thus, there was an urgent need to abandon this inhumane practice, for which United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) have established a joint programme on FGM, a largest global programme to eliminate FGM and to provide care for its consequences.

The Sustainable Development Goals in 2015 calls for an end to FGM by 2030 under goal 5 on gender equality, target 5.3 eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation.

Key Facts:

• In 2020 alone, there are 4.1 million girls around the world are at risk of undergoing female genital mutilation.
• Globally about 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone some form of FGM, and 3 million girls are at risk of undergoing the practice every year.
• FGM is mostly carried out on young girls sometime between infancy and age 15.
• FGM causes only harm and no health benefits.
• FGM is a violation of the human rights of girls and women.

Female Genital Mutilation 2020

References-

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/female-genital-mutilation https://www.un.org/en/observances/female-genital-mutilation-day