Female genital mutilation

Rare card · No. 16524

Female genital mutilation (FGM) (also known as female genital cutting, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and female circumcision) is the cutting or removal of some or all of the vulva for non-medical reasons. FGM prevalence varies worldwide, but is significantly present in some countries of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, and within their diasporas. As of 2024, UNICEF estimates that more than 230 million girls and women worldwide had been subjected to one or more types of FGM, including over 144 million in Africa, over 80 million in Asia, over 6 million in the Middle East, and another 1–2 million in small practising communities and countries of migration elsewhere. This total was 30 million (15%) higher than UNICEF's 2016 estimate; although FGM is not becoming more common globally, UNICEF notes that progress towards eliminating the practice remains too slow and is being outpaced by population growth, particularly where FGM is most prevalent. Typically carried out by a traditional...

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