EDITED BY|HUE GEY

AFRICA- WHO

     The International Day of Zero Tolerance for female genital mutilation (FGM), observed annually on 6 February, provides an opportunity for all stakeholders involved in ending FGM to celebrate achievements, advocate for the abandonment of the practice and raise awareness. 

Celebrating commitment at the country level in Kenya 

    On 2 February, WHO and HRP hosted an event with the Government of Kenya to celebrate the country’s strong commitment to FGM abandonment by 2030. Kenya has developed an accelerated comprehensive national plan. The event brought together representatives from the Ministry of Health and other related ministries addressing FGM, along with United Nations agencies, development partners, donors, health professional associations, and civil society. The speakers shared their perspectives on national, regional, and global efforts to end FGM, focusing on the crucial role of the health sector as part of multi-sectoral efforts.

Global efforts to end FGM have been underway for decades, but rates are declining slowly. Although the vital role of the health sector is recognized, there is still a lack of clear evidence on what actually works.

Now, a new approach is putting antenatal care providers like Hamda and her colleagues at the center of FGM prevention efforts. 

In Somalia, health workers, girls, and women are experts in preventing female genital mutilation

WHO and HRP (the UN special program for Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction) are supporting national partners in Somalia, Kenya, and Guinea to lead an implementation research study aimed at strengthening health workers’ communication to prevent FGM and care for survivors; not by decree, but through effective engagement and communication.

180 health facilities across the three countries are receiving a baseline FGM prevention and care package. After three months, health workers in half of the facilities will get additional training in a new person-centered communication

 

Female Genital Mutilation Hurts Women and Economies

 

 

Female genital mutilation (FGM) exacts a crippling economic as well as the human cost, according to World Health Organization (WHO).

“FGM is not only a catastrophic abuse of human rights that significantly harms the physical and mental health of millions of girls and women; it is also a drain on a country’s vital economic resources,” said Dr. Ian Askew, Director of WHO’s Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research. “More investment is urgently needed to stop FGM and end the suffering it inflicts.”

New modeling reveals that the total costs of treating the health impacts of FGM would amount to USD 1.4 billion globally per year if all resulting medical needs were addressed. For individual countries, these costs would near 10% of their entire yearly expenditure on health on average; in some countries, this figure rises to as much as 30%.

The interactive modeling tool that generated these data was launched on the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation.