Towards the elimination of FGM by 2030: A statistical assessment

Abstract

In 2015, UN member states committed to eliminate female genital mutilation (FGM) by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Agenda. To reach this goal, interventions need to be targeted and guided by the best available evidence. To date, however, estimates of the number of girls and women affected by FGM and their trends over time and geographic space have been limited by the availability, specificity and quality of population-level data. We present new estimates based on all publicly available nationally representative surveys collected since the 1990s that contain both information on FGM status and on the age at which FGM occurred. Using survival analysis, we generate estimates of FGM risk by single year of age for all countries with available data, and for rural and urban areas separately. The likelihood of experiencing FGM has decreased at the global level, but progress has been starkly uneven between countries. The available data indicate no progress in reducing FGM risk in Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mali and Guinea. In addition, rural and urban areas have diverged over the last two decades, with FGM declining more rapidly in urban areas. We describe limitations in the availability and quality of data on FGM occurrence and ageat-FGM. Based on current trends, the SDG goal of eliminating FGM by 2030 is out of reach, and the pace at which the practice is being abandoned would need to accelerate to eliminate FGM by 2030. The heterogeneity in trends between countries and rural vs urban areas offers an opportunity to contrast countries where FGM is in rapid decline and explore potential policy lessons and programmatic implications for countries where the practice of FGM appears to remain entrenched.

Changes in the prevalence and trends of female genital mutilation in Iraqi Kurdistan Region between 2011 and 2018

“…Moreover, the rural areas in Iraqi Kurdistan Region are slowly changing to more suburban and urban areas [37]. Unlike our study, another study showed that FGM is declining more rapidly in urban areas at the global level [38].…”

New estimations of child marriage: Evidence from 98 low- and middle-income countries

“…Survival analysis has been previously applied in various life events [ 39 – 41 ]. A similar approach has recently been applied to highlight age-specific risks of female genital mutilation (FGM), and the extent to which the pace of population growth in affected countries is changing the absolute numbers of girls at risk [ 42 ]. In both analyses, the rising absolute numbers of girls at risk is of crucial importance to policymakers, highlighting where accelerated interventions are needed to eliminate these practices by 2030.…”

Mental Health Disorders in Circumcised Reproductive-age Women, Legal Dimensions and Prevention Strategies: A Narrative Review

“…37 In addition, WHO in collaboration with key agencies of the United Nations and international organizations, published a document entitled "Global strategy to stop health care providers from performing female genital mutilation" in 2010. 17 The United Nations has also made the eradication of FGM / C one of its goals for sustainable development in 2003. 38 As a result of joint international efforts and legal frameworks in many countries, the number of women and men advocating for circumcision eradication is increasing, while its overall prevalence is declining.…”