Towards faster progress to end female genital mutilation by 2030

Cairo, 6 February 2017- 6 February marks the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C). FGM/C is a direct harm and discrimination against girls and a violation of their human rights. The practice of FGM/C undermines the health and wellbeing of girls as it inflicts excruciating pain, and increases the risk of deadly complications during pregnancy, labour and childbirth endangering both mother and child. Additionally, FGM/C causes extreme emotional trauma that can last a lifetime.
 
FGM/C is a practice that is concentrated in 30 countries in Africa, the Middle East and some East Asian countries. Despite all the progress made toward abolishing this violent practice, millions of girls -- many of them under the age of 15 -- will be forced to undergo FGM/C this year alone.  Sadly, they will join the almost 200 million girls and women around the world who are already living with the damage FGM/C causes – and whose communities are already affected by its impact.
 
Egypt witnessed many efforts lead by the Government of Egypt represented by the Ministry of Health and Population, and the National Council for Population (NPC) and the National council of Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM) to address the FGM/C practice through the correction of misconceptions and raising awareness about its harms. The National Population Council (NPC) in cooperation with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) implements initiatives on educating and correcting misconceptions on FGM, under the umbrella of the “National Strategy for Empowering the Family and Combating FGM/C” that the NPC adopts. 
 
Efforts also include the work of Al Azhar Al Sharif and its university, with the Coptic Orthodox Church in collaboration with UNICEF, in enhancing positive social change through the influence of Religious Leaders. In 2013, the publication “Female Circumcision (FGM/C) between the incorrect use of science and the misunderstood doctrine” was published by Al Azhar Al Sharif with UNICEF. Following that, in 2016 Al Azhar Al Sharif and the Coptic Orthodox Church published the first joint publication under the name “Peace. Love. Tolerance. Key Messages from Islam and Christianity on Protecting Children from Violence and Harmful Practices”. The publication addresses 11 forms of violence against children, which include FGM/C. 
 
On the level of laws to protect girls from the dangers of FGM/C, the Criminal Law in 2008 criminalizing the practice, and considering any FGM/C procedure conducted by healthcare providers illegal was a breakthrough. September 2016 witnessed another progress when the majority in the Egyptian Parliament voted for harshening the sentence for performing FGM/C to imprisonment of five to seven years, instead of three months to two years. 
 
These efforts yielded some encouraging results evident in the reduction of the proportion of girls aged 0-17 who have actually undergone FGM/C, from 28 per cent in 2005 to 18 per cent in 2014; and those who are at risk of experiencing FGM/C fell from 69 per cent to 55 per cent during the same period. However, this progress did not reach all regions in Egypt equally. Lower Egypt region enjoyed the most reduction in FGM/C prevalence rates, followed by Urban Governorates. Upper Egypt witnessed the least progress with 68 per cent of girls still subject to the risk of FGM/C; a figure that has not changed since 2008. These findings are according to a secondary analytical study conducted in 2016 titled “Factors and determinants of FGM/C of girls aged 0-17 years: a secondary analysis of the Egypt Demographic and Health Surveys, 2005, 2008 and 2014”. The study uses the 2005, 2008 and 2014 datasets of the Egyptian Health and Demographic Survey (EDHS) published by the Ministry of Health and Population. 
 
This study showed some positive progress in perceptions and attitudes about FGM/C. The percentage of women aged 15-49 who believed that FGM/C is preferred by the husband fell from 61.3 per cent in 2005, to 49.7 per cent in 2014; and those who believed that FGM/C prevents adultery fell from 54.2 per cent to 46.3 per cent during the same time period. The percentage of women who saw that FGM/C exposes the girl to risks or could lead to death increased from 32.4 per cent in 2005 to 53.9 per cent in 2014. 
 
It is important to notice the reduction in the exposure to information about FGM/C amongst women aged 15-49. The percent of women who reported discussing FGM/C with relatives/friends/neighbors declined from around 50 per cent in 2005 to about 25 per cent in 2014. In addition, the percentage of women who received information about FGM/C dropped from 80 per cent in 2005 to only 35 per cent in 2014, which could weaken any ongoing efforts to reduce the practice. 
 
The process of awareness raising on the harms of FGM/C is one of the determinants in reducing its prevalence. The negative correlation between the level of knowledge among women, and the prevalence of FGM/C was evident in the Lower Egypt region, as the region had the highest reduction in FGM/C prevalence, and was also the region that the study showed had the highest percentage of women receiving information about FGM/C. 
 
The results for Egypt as a whole shown in the study suggest that the variables of the mother’s circumcision status, as well as the attitudes of both the mothers and the men towards the continuation of the practice, were the most important determinants of girls’ FGM/C across the three surveys. The 2014 EDHS found that if the mother has undergone FGM/C, she is almost seven times more likely to have the procedure performed on her daughter. Moreover, daughters are four times more likely to undergo FGM/C if the attitude of the mother is to continue the practice and nearly twice more likely if men believe that FGM/C should continue. 
 
The findings of the 2016 analytical study are important in contributing to the knowledge available to the different players involved programmes and interventions to combat FGM/C in Egypt. The findings indicate a compelling need for continuation and intensifying of community dialogue, awareness and information provision on the risks and negative effects of FGM/C; along with specific targeting of women who are still convinced of FGM/C, young women and newly married couples, with a focus on Upper Egypt where the practice is still highly prevalent. 
 
“Combating the practice of FGM/C is a critical effort towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 5 on Gender Equality and empowerment of girls and women,” stated Bruno Maes, UNICEF Representative in Egypt. “This calls for UNICEF and civil society to continue efforts in supporting the Government of Egypt in accelerating the reduction of FGM/C so as to completely eliminate the practice by 2030.”  
 
In 2017, all concerned entities must collaborate on faster action to build on achieved progress.  That means advocating to enact and enforce laws and policies that protect the rights of girls and women and prevent FGM/C. This also means families and communities taking action themselves and refusing to permit their girls to endure the violation of FGM/C.