United Nations: International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, 6 February 2025

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a human rights violation that leads to traumatic, painful, and irreversible suffering for women and girls. As we are set to celebrate the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation on 6th February 2025, the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, called for ending Female Genital Mutilation practices for a fairer and healthier future for women and girls. Despite the practice being concentrated in 30 African countries, FGM is a universal issue. On a positive note, FGM practices have reduced globally over the past three decades: a remarkable achievement that needs to be sustained in the face of humanitarian crises like conflicts.

However, nearly 4.4 million girls are at risk of this harmful practice today. Thus, the United Nations calls for collective actions to create an environment where women and girls can exercise their choices freely and enjoy rights. Coordinated efforts are needed to support the eradication of this harmful practice. These efforts must involve entire communities and concentrate on human rights, gender equality, sexual education, and the needs of women and girls who are impacted by the practice.

The United Nations strives for a full eradication of FGM by 2030 which follows the spirit of the Sustainable Development Goal 5. United Nations Population Fund (UNDP) alongside United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) leads the global Joint Programme to eliminate female genital mutilation which focuses on countries in the Middle East and Africa along with regional and global initiatives. The programme has led to several positive outcomes like public declarations to abandon FGM practices and mass media campaigns which reached over 250 million individuals worldwide.