A Girl Dies Every 12 Minutes as a Result of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting

Every 12 minutes, a girl dies because of complications from female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). That’s 5 girls in an hour, 120 girls a day, 44,320 girls every year. These are not just numbers—they represent real lives, dreams and futures lost due to a practice that is entirely preventable.

Today, on International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, we’re calling for the international community to act through increased investment and stronger commitment to eliminating this practice.

Female genital mutilation/cutting is the partial or total removal of the female external genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. It is most often carried out on young girls between infancy and age 15. Over 230 million girls and women alive today have been subjected to this practice. Despite often being framed as a harmful traditional practice and hidden behind cultural justifications and misinformation, it is a severe form of violence against women and girls. With 4.3 million girls at risk each year, immediate action is required.

World Leaders have already committed to eliminating FGM under the Sustainable Development Goals target 5.3: eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilations. Yet, as the deadline of 2030 draws nearer, the practice persists at alarming rates affecting millions across over 90 countries worldwide, primarily in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

A new University of Birmingham study has revealed a devastating reality: FGM/C is the fourth leading cause of death among girls and young women in practicing countries in Africa. It accounts for more deaths in these countries than any cause other than enteric infections, respiratory infections, and Malaria, surpassing deaths from HIV/AIDS, measles, and meningitis. This evidence reframes FGM/C as a pandemic of violence that contributes significantly to global child mortality.

Nehlor, a public health specialist and activist from Liberia has personally witnessed the deadly consequences of FGM/C and the culture of silence surrounding it, “When I was 7 I was supposed to undergo FGM with two dear friends. Because my grandmother was a senior cutter, I was supposed to go last. When my two childhood friends were mutilated, they suffered haemorrhage and died. This spared me [from FGM] that year, but I had to live with that excruciating pain of witnessing girls being cut.”

Not only did Nehlor witness these tragic events, but she experienced the silence around these events and how deaths remain unreported and unspoken of, “You take an oath before graduation from the Sande ceremony including not to speak about it.” With 44,320 deaths occuring a year, Nehlor and her community are not alone in witnessing the loss of life through FGM/C. This stark figure necessitates urgent global intervention and funding.

The annual death toll due to FGM approaches that of armed conflicts in Africa, which average 48,400 combat-related deaths per year. However, unlike this humanitarian crisis, which receives significant international attention, FGM/C-related deaths have remained largely invisible in global health responses.

Whilst there is an urgent need for more rapid action, there is hope. In the last year we have seen important milestones that inspire optimism. One such victory was the unwavering determination of civil society in both The Gambia and globally, upholding the ban on FGM/C despite efforts of FGM supporters to overturn this.

Only by raising awareness of the true impact of FGM/C can we encourage increased investment and stronger commitment to eliminating this practice. Share our video and help to shine a light on the hidden toll of FGM/C.

Authors: Anush Aghabalyan, Head of Policy and Advocacy, Orchid Project and Natalie Roberts, Communications Lead, Orchid Project