International leaders and advocacy groups recognized Sunday the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Responding to a UNICEF report released earlier this week which found COVID-19 slowed progress towards ending FGM, the international community banded together to show continuing support to end FGM across the globe.
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus commemorated the day by announcing the release of new WHO clinical guidance. “Let’s be clear. Female genital mutilation is a violation of human rights and has no medical benefit,” Dr. Tedros said in a statement.
UN Women also joined in recognizing the need to end FGM: “Eliminating FGM will take concerted, holistic approaches that address gender discrimination, poverty, the impact of crises and obstacles to women’s leadership . . . . We must not let this generation down. We call on all our partners and allies to commit to the collective action necessary to bring about progress.”
As a member of the UN and as a country committed to ending FGM, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also released a statement. It read, in part, “No woman or girl should ever live in fear of physical or psychological harm that threatens her well-being and violates her human rights. Canada will continue to promote and protect the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls.”
Similarly, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken signaled US support for ending FGM. He said, “The human rights of women and girls – including the right to live free from violence and to have the opportunity to realize their full potential – must be protected and upheld.”
Representatives of the European Union also urged the international community to end FGM, stating: “Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a crime and a violation of women’s human rights. We must stop it.”
As a country that is actively working to combat FGM, Chairperson Dr. Joyce M. Mutinda of the Kenya National Gender and Equality Commission also released a statement. Dr Mutinda said:
FGM is not only a harmful cultural practice but an infringement of human rights that violates the principles of equality of rights and respect for human dignity. It impedes the enjoyment of rights of women and girls including sexual and reproductive health rights and exposes women to serious health, psychological, physical, social consequences.
