Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting: Telling a Story with Trends

© 2012 Population Reference Bureau. All rights reserved. www.prb.org

Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting

Overview

An estimated 100 million to 140 million girls and women worldwide have undergone female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and more than 3 million girls are at risk for cutting each year on the African continent alone.1

FGM/C is generally performed on girls between ages 4 and 12, although it is practiced in some cultures as early as a few days after birth or as late as just prior to marriage.

According to a 2006 WHO study, FGM/C can be linked to increased complications in childbirth and even maternal deaths.

1 P. Stanley Yoder and Shane Khan, Numbers of Women Circumcised in Africa: The Production of a Total (Calverton, MD: ORC Macro, March 2008).

© 2012 Population Reference Bureau. All rights reserved. www.prb.org

Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting

Overview continued

FGM/C is practiced in at least 28 countries in Africa and a few others in Asia and the Middle East.

FGM/C is practiced at all educational levels and in all social classes and occurs among many religious groups, although no religion mandates it.

© 2012 Population Reference Bureau. All rights reserved. www.prb.org

Types of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting

Type 1 or Clitoridectomy: Partial or total removal of the clitoris and/or the clitoral hood.

Type 2 or excision: Partial or total removal of the clitoris and the labia minora, with or without excision of the labia majora.

Type 3 or Infibulation: Narrowing of the vaginal orifice with creation of a covering seal by cutting and placing together the labia minora and/or the labia majora, with or without excision of the clitoris.

Type 4 or Unclassified: All other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for nonmedical purposes, for example, pricking, piercing, incising, scraping, and cauterization.

Note: Current questionnaires used in the Demographic and Health Surveys do not differentiate between Types I and II, but only between whether a girl or woman has been cut, whether tissue has been removed, and whether tissue has been sewn closed.

© 2012 Population Reference Bureau. All rights reserved. www.prb.org

Sources: ICF International, Demographic and Health Surveys; UNICEF, Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys.

Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting, by Age

Somalia 2006 Egypt 2008 Gambia 2005-06

Ethiopia 2005 Côte d'Ivoire 2012

Kenya 2008-09 Tanzania 2010

99 96

80 81

45

35

21.6

97

81 80

62

31

157.1

Ages 35-39 Ages 15-19

Prevalence Among Younger and Older WomenPercent

© 2012 Population Reference Bureau. All rights reserved. www.prb.org

Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting, by Residence

Sierra Leone 2010

Djibouti 2006

Mali 2006 Burkina Faso 2010

Guinea-Bissau 2006

Senegal 2010-11

Nigeria 2008 Tanzania 2010

81

93

81

69

39

23.4

37

7.8

9296

8778

48

27.8 2617.3

Urban Rural

Prevalence Among Urban and Rural AreasPercent

Sources: ICF International, Demographic and Health Surveys; UNICEF, Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys.

© 2012 Population Reference Bureau. All rights reserved. www.prb.org

Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting, Within Countries

Senegal 2010-11 Kenya 2008-09 Côte d'Ivoire 2012 Ethiopia 2005 Liberia 2007 Mauritania 2007

0.5 1

13

27

1

27

9298

75

97

87

98

25.7 27

38

74

58

72

Lowest Region Highest Region National

Percent

Sources: ICF International, Demographic and Health Surveys; UNICEF, Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys.

© 2012 Population Reference Bureau. All rights reserved. www.prb.org

Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting, by Type

Eritrea 2002 Somalia 2006 Burkina Faso 2010

Mali 2006 Kenya 2008-09 Tanzania 2010

46

1

17

3 2 2.24

15

77 76

83

90.9

39

79

1

1013

0.7

Nicked, No Flesh Removed Flesh Removed Sewn Closed

Prevalence by TypePercent

Sources: ICF International, Demographic and Health Surveys; UNICEF, Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys.

© 2012 Population Reference Bureau. All rights reserved. www.prb.org

Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting by Traditional and Nontraditional Practitioners

Benin 20

06

Camero

on 2004

Egypt 2

008

Eritrea

2002

Guinea 200

5

Kenya

2008

-09

Mali 20

06

Niger 20

06

Nigeria 2

008

Tanza

nia 201

0

99

89

66

9589

78

9297

74

99.3

1 4

32

110

20

3 19

0.4

Traditional practitioner Doctor/nurse/trained midwife

Percent

Sources: ICF International, Demographic and Health Surveys; UNICEF, Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys.

Note: Data for Egypt and Tanzania refer to daughters’ experience.

© 2012 Population Reference Bureau. All rights reserved. www.prb.org

Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting, by Education

Chad 2010 Côte d'Ivoire

2012

Ethiopia 2005

Gambia 2005-06

Guinea-Bissau 2006

Kenya 2008-09

Mali 2006 Senegal 2010-11

Sierra Leone 2010

Tanzania 2010

4751

7781

54 54

85

28.4

95

20.3

42

27

71

80

35

26

86

24.1

85

16.6

31

16

6471

21 19

84

19.6

74

3.1

None Primary Secondary +

Prevalence Among Women by Level of EducationPercent

Sources: ICF International, Demographic and Health Surveys; UNICEF, Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys.

© 2012 Population Reference Bureau. All rights reserved. www.prb.org

Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting, by Wealth

Benin 20

06

Côte d'Iv

oire 20

06

Kenya

2008

-09

Tanza

nia 20

10

Egypt 2

008

Ethiopia

2005

Gambia

2005

-06

Guinea-B

issau

2006

Mali 20

06

Sierra

Leone 2

010

15

55

40

25

95

73 75

26

94 94

17

37

29

17

95

75

86

46

82

93

5

23

15

6

7871

64

24

86

76

Poorest Fifth Middle Fifth Richest Fifth

Prevalence by Wealth QuintilePercent

Sources: ICF International, Demographic and Health Surveys; UNICEF, Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys.

© 2012 Population Reference Bureau. All rights reserved. www.prb.org

Trends in Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting Prevalence

Series1

9794

80

45 4538

9185

74

4438

27

Percent of women ages 15-49, by survey year

Sources: ICF International, Demographic and Health Surveys; UNICEF, Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys.

2000 2008 1995-96

2006 2000 2005 2000 2010 1998-99

2012 1999 2008-09

Egypt Mali Ethiopia Chad Cote d’Ivoire

Kenya

© 2012 Population Reference Bureau. All rights reserved. www.prb.org

Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting, Attitudes

Benin 2006 Cameroon 2004

Egypt 2008 Guinea 2005 Mali 2006 Niger 2006 Nigeria 2008

93

84

35

18 16

89

62

95

85

27

41

21

86

64

Women Men

Women and Men Who Have Heard of the Practice and Believe It Should be Discontinued

Percent

Sources: ICF International, Demographic and Health Surveys.

© 2012 Population Reference Bureau. All rights reserved. www.prb.org

Legal Status of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting, by Country

Laws that specificallyprohibit the practice:

BeninBurkina FasoCentral African Rep.Cote d’IvoireDjiboutiEgyptEritreaEthiopiaGhanaGuineaGuinea-BissauKenyaMauritaniaNigerSenegalSomaliaTanzaniaTogoUganda

Sources: Center for Reproductive Rights, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM); Legal Prohibitions Worldwide; Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices, International, Regional and Legal Instruments for the Protection of Women and Girls Against FGM/C; Inter-Parliamentary Union, Legislation and Other National Provisions; Women’s United Nations Report Network, FGM Legislation for 25 African Countries – Female Genital Mutilation.

No specific laws, butsome provisions*:

CameroonChadMaliSudan (North)

*Existing provisions of criminalcodes have been or can be appliedto FGM/C

No Laws:

GambiaLiberiaNigeriaSierra LeoneYemen