Why is female genital mutilation still practiced?

Female genital mutilation is driven by wide range of factors. In some societies it is considered a rite of passage and required prior to marriage. Some communities believe it is based on religion. Because female genital mutilation may be considered an essential part of a culture or identity, it can be difficult for families to decide against having their daughters subjected to it. People who reject it can face condemnation or ostracism, and their daughters are often considered ineligible for marriage. As a result, even parents who do not want their daughters to undergo female genital mutilation may feel compelled to participate.

What “works” in ending FGM

Evidence shows that social marketing and media, involvement of religious and cultural leaders and health workers, as well as health and formal education are all effective in changing attitudes. There is a need to invest in and scale up such interventions to contribute to the elimination of female genital mutilation.

Medicalization of female genital mutilation

The medicalization of female genital mutilation is defined as situations in which it is practised by any category of healthcare provider – whether in a public or private clinic, at home or elsewhere. But female genital mutilation can never be ‘safe’ and there is no medical justification for it. Even when performed in a sterile environment by health workers, there can be serious consequences immediately and later in life. Health workers who perform it are violating girls’ and women’s rights to life, physical integrity and health, as well as violating the professional code of conduct to ‘do no harm’.

Approximately 1 in 4 girls and women aged 15 to 49 who have undergone female genital mutilation – 52 million in total – had the procedure performed by health workers. In some countries, the proportion is as high as 3 in 4. The prevalence is particularly alarming among adolescents, who are twice as likely to have female genital mutilation performed by health workers compared with older women.

UNFPA works in partnership with the health sector to eliminate the practice, including with midwives, who make up the largest health workforce at the facility and community level. The aim is to enable health workers to resist social pressure to perform female genital mutilation and to instead proactively advocate and counsel prevention for  the individuals and communities they serve.

What UNFPA is doing

UNFPA operates in 150 countries and territories globally. Ending female genital mutilation is one of the three transformative results in UNFPA’s Strategic Plan (2026–2029).

UNFPA and UNICEF together lead the  Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation, which is the largest global programme on the issue and has been operating since 2008. UNFPA uses its comparative advantage and mandate in its work with governments and partners across all levels – grassroots, community, subnational, national, regional and global. The organization works across the social, educational, health, religious, economic and political sectors to advocate for scaled-up, evidence-based interventions and results. The current fourth phase of the Joint Programme focuses on five strategies: promoting girls’ agency; building movements, with a special focus on youth; engaging women-led organizations; funding diversification; and expanding and intensifying global influence. The Joint Programme operates directly in 18 countries in three regions, with reach and influence in countries and regions where female genital mutilation is prevalent.

Updated 4 February 2026