Prevalence Of Female Genital Mutilation By Country

Female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as female genital cutting (FGC), is practiced in 30 countries in western, eastern, and north-eastern Africa, in parts of the Middle EastFGM – Where is it practiced?
European Campaign on FGM & Amnesty International (2012) and Asia,World Health Organization, Female genital mutilation: an overview. 1998, Geneva: World Health OrganizationClarence-Smith, William G. (2012) "Female Circumcision in Southeast Asia since the Coming of Islam", in Chitra Raghavan and James P. Levine (eds.), ''Self-Determination and Women’s Rights in Muslim Societies'', Brandeis University Press. pp. 124–146. and within some immigrant communities in Europe, North America and Australia. The WHO defines the practice as "all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.""Female genital mutilation"
World Health Organization, February 2010.

In a 2013 UNICEF report covering 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East, Egypt had the region's highest total number of women that have undergone FGM (27.2 million), while Somalia had the highest percentage (prevalence) of FGM (98%).

The world's first known campaign against FGM took place in Egypt in the 1920s. FGM prevalence in Egypt in 1995 was still at least as high as Somalia's 2013 world record (98%), despite dropping significantly since then among young women. Estimates of the prevalence of FGM vary according to source.

Classifications of FGM

The WHO identifies four types of FGM:
*Type I: removal of the clitoral hood, the skin around the clitoris (''Ia''), with partial or complete removal of the clitoris (''Ib'')
*Type II: removal of the labia minora (''IIa''), with partial or complete removal of the clitoris (''IIb'') and the labia majora (''IIc'')
*Type III: removal of all or part of the labia minora (''IIIa'') and labia majora (''IIIb''), complete removal of the clitoris, and the stitching of a seal across the vagina, leaving a small opening for the passage of urine and menstrual blood (infibulation)
*Type IV: other miscellaneous acts, might or might not include cauterization of the clitoris, cutting of the vagina (gishiri cutting), and introducing corrosive substances into the vagina to tighten it (extreme and rare cases)Momoh, Comfort (ed)
"Female Genital Mutilation"
Radcliffe Publishing, 2005, pp. 6–7.

Prevalence

The term "prevalence" is used to describe the proportion of women and girls now living in a country who have undergone FGM at some stage in their lives. This is distinct from the " incidence" of FGM which describes the proportion of women and girls who have undergone the procedure within a particular time period, which could be contemporary or historical. FGM is practiced in some but not all African countries, the Middle East, Indonesia and Malaysia, as well as some migrants in Europe, United States and Australia.Berggren, Vanja (2005)
Female Genital Mutilation: Studies on primary and repeat female genital cutting
Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. pp. 2–4 It is also seen in some populations of South Asia.
Ben Doherty, The Sydney Morning Herald (January 25, 2012) The highest known prevalence rates are in 30 African countries, in a band that stretches from Senegal in West Africa to Ethiopia on the east coast, as well as from Egypt in the north to Tanzania in the south.

In a 2013 UNICEF report based on surveys completed by select countries, FGM is known to be prevalent in 27 African countries, Yemen and Iraqi Kurdistan, where 125 million women and girls have undergone FGM. The UNICEF report notes FGM is found in countries beyond the 29 countries it covered, and the total worldwide number is unknown.

Other reports claim the prevalence of FGM in countries not discussed by the 2013 UNICEF report. The practice occurs in Jordan, Iraq, Syria,Birch, Nicholas (10 August 2005)
"Female circumcision surfaces in Iraq"
''Christian Science Monitor''. Oman, United Arab Emirates and Qatar. Earlier reports claimed the prevalence of FGM in Israel among the Negev Bedouin, which by 2009 has virtually disappeared.

As a result of immigration, FGM has also spread to Europe, Australia, and the United States, with some families having their daughters undergo the procedure while on vacation overseas . As Western governments become more aware of FGM, legislation has come into effect in many countries to make the practice a criminal offense. In 2006, Khalid Adem became the first man in the United States to be prosecuted for mutilating his daughter.

The United Nations has called for elimination of the practice by 2030. A 2017 UCLA Fielding School of Public Health study, measuring trends in the prevalence of FGM over the course of three decades, found that they dropped significantly in 17 of the 22 countries surveyed. The researchers found a 2–8 percentage points increase in Chad, Mali and Sierra Leone during the 30-years period.

Data reliability

Much of the FGM prevalence data currently available is based on verbal surveys and self-reporting. Clinical examinations are uncommon. The assumption is that women respond truthfully when asked about their FGM status and that they know the type and extent of FGM that was performed on their genitalia. Many FGM procedures are performed at a very young age, many cultures feel a taboo about such discussions, and a number of such factors raise the possibility that the validity of survey responses might be incorrect, potentially underreported. In Oman, for example, some do not wish to discuss FGM from the fear that such discussion is showing their culture's dirty laundry to the world, causing criticism of a practice that they believe is purely religious.The issue of female genital mutilation in Oman
Susan Mubarak, Muscat Daily (January 01, 2013)

In countries where FGM has been outlawed, fear of prosecution of family members or self, and social disapproval from elders may cause women to deny that they underwent or were subjected to FGM. For example, the self-reported circumcision status of women aged 15–49 was verbally surveyed in 1995 in northern Ghana. The same women were interviewed again in 2000 after the enactment of a law that criminalized FGM and Ghana-wide public campaigns against the practice. This study discovered that 13% of women who reported in 1995 that they had undergone FGM denied it in the 2000 interview, with youngest age group girls denying at rates as high as 50%.

UNICEF has revised its data on the FGM prevalence rates in the Kurdistan region of the Middle East:

Africa

In July 2003, at its second summit, the African Union adopted the Maputo Protocol promoting women's rights and calling for an end to FGM. The agreement came into force in November 2005, and by December 2008, 25 member countries had ratified it."Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) or Female Genital Cutting (FGC): Individual Country Reports"
U.S. State Department, 1 June 2001.

As of 2013, according to a UNICEF report, 24 African countries have legislations or decrees against FGM/C practice; these countries are: Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria (since 2015), Senegal, Somalia, Sudan (some states), Tanzania, Togo and Uganda (see page 9 of the report) and Zambia and South Africa (see page 8). In 2015, Gambia's president Yahya Jammeh banned FGM.

In 2014 The Girl Generation, an African-led campaign to oppose FGM worldwide, was launched.

General

Although estimates of the prevalence of FGM vary, sources have consistently found the practice to be undergone by the majority of women in the Horn of Africa, in the West African countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Mauritania, Mali and Burkina Faso, as well as in Sudan and Egypt.
Of these countries, all have laws or decrees against the practice, with the exception of Sierra Leone, Mali and some states of Sudan.

Infibulation

Infibulation, the most extreme form of FGM, known also as Type III, is practiced primarily in countries located in northeastern Africa.Yoder, P. Stanley and Khan, Shane (March 2008
"Numbers of women circumcised in Africa: The Production of a Total"
USAID, DHS Working Papers, No. 39, pp. 13–14: "Infibulation is practiced largely in countries located in some countries in northeastern Africa. Survey data are available for Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Djibouti. Sudan alone accounts for about 3.5 million of the women. ... e estimate of the total number of women infibulated in jibouti, Somalia, Eritrea, northern Sudan, Ethiopia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Chad, Nigeria, Cameroon and Tanzania, for women 15–49 years oldcomes to 8,245,449, or just over eight million women." Also see Appendix B, Table 2 ("Types of FGC"), p. 19.

The practice is the removal of the inner and outer labia, and the suturing of the vulva. It is mostly practiced in northeastern Africa, particularly Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan.

The procedure leaves a wall of skin and flesh across the vagina and the rest of the pubic area. By inserting a twig or similar object before the wound heals, a small hole is created for the passage of urine and menstrual blood. The procedure is usually accompanied by the removal of the clitoral glans. The legs are bound together for two to four weeks(up to 40 days) to allow healing.

The vagina is usually penetrated at the time of a woman's marriage by her husband's penis, or by cutting the tissue with a knife. The vagina is opened further for childbirth, and usually closed again afterwards, a process known as defibulation (or deinfibulation) and reinfibulation. Infibulation can cause chronic pain and infection, organ damage, prolonged micturition, urinary incontinence, inability to get pregnant, difficulty giving birth, obstetric fistula and fatal bleeding.

Algeria

FGM is not generally practiced in Algeria, but is present among immigrants in South Algeria, particularly among Sub-Saharan African migrants. It is considered a criminal offense and is punishable by up to 25 years in prison.

Benin

Female genital mutilation is present in Benin. According to a 2011–12 survey, 7.3% of the women in Benin have been subjected to FGM. This is a decline over the 2001 survey, which reported 16.8%.FGM Education and Networking Project
Fgmnetwork.org, accessed 5 February 2011. , UNICEF's latest data, from 2014, confirms only 0.2% of Benin girls aged 0 to 14 had been subjected to FGM, while 9% of females aged 15 to 49 had so. The prevalence varies with religion in Benin; FGM is prevalent in 49% of Muslim women. The prevalence in other groups is lower, 3% of traditional religions, 3% of Roman Catholic and 1% in other Christian women.FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION/CUTTING: A Statistical Exploration
UNICEF (2010); see Table 1C, page 34 A 2003 law bans all forms of FGM. Ras-Work, Berhane (2009
Paper EGMGPLHP _Berhane Ras-Work revised_.pdf LEGISLATION TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION (FGM)
UN.org According to UNICEF, Benin experienced the most dramatic decline in low prevalence countries, from 8% in 2006 to 2% in 2012, a 75% decline.Demographic Perspectives on Female Genital Mutilation
UNFPA

Burkina Faso

The unfpa gives a prevalence of 76% for the year of 2021(women aged from 15 to 49) in Burkina Faso.Female Genital Mutilation in Burkina Faso
Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany (September 2011) A 1998 survey reported a lower rate of 72%. This was not considered as evidence of an increase in the practice, but as reflecting the worldwide fact that better and more information is increasingly available on FGM. , UNICEF's latest data, from 2010, confirms only 13% of girls aged 0 to 14 had been subjected to FGM, while 76% of females aged 15 to 49 had so. The prevalence varies with religion in Burkina Faso. FGM is prevalent in 82% of Muslim women, 73% of traditional religions, 66% of Roman Catholics and 60% of Protestants.

In a 2011 study on a wide range of variables, FGM prevalence characteristics in Burkina Faso was found to be strongly associated with religion, and age being the other important variable. A law prohibiting FGM was enacted in 1996 and went into effect in February 1997. Even before this law a presidential decree had set up the National Committee against excision and imposed fines on people guilty of excising girls and women. The new law includes stricter punishment. Several women excising girls have been handed prison sentences. Burkina Faso ratified the Maputo Protocol in 2006.

Cameroon

Female genital mutilation is rare in Cameroon, being concentrated in the far north and the southwest of the country. In a 2004 study, the FGM prevalence rate was 1.4%. Even though national rate is low, there are regions with high prevalence rate. In extreme north Cameroon, the prevalence rate is 13% for the Fulbe people and people of Arab descent.Female Genital Mutilation in Cameroon
Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany (September 2011) The prevalence varies with religion; FGM is prevalent in 6% of Muslim women, less than 1% of Christians, and 0% for Animist women. Cameroon's national penal code does not classify genital mutilation as a criminal offence. Article 277 criminalizes aggravated assault, including aggravated assault to organs. A draft law has been pending for over 10 years.

Central African Republic

WHO gives the prevalence of FGM in Central African Republic at 24.2% in 2010.Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: Data and Trends
. U.S. Population Reference Bureau (2017) A survey from 2000 found FGM was prevalent in 36% of Central African Republic women. This is a decline over the 1994 survey, which reported 43%. The prevalence in the 2000 survey varied with religion in Central African Republic; FGM was prevalent in 46% of Animist women, 39% of Muslim, 36% of Protestants, and 35% of Catholic women.

In 1996, the President issued an Ordinance prohibiting FGM throughout the country. It has the force of national law. Any violation of the Ordinance is punishable by imprisonment of from one month and one day to two years and a fine of 5,100 to 100,000 francs (approximately US$8–160). No arrests are known to have been made under the law. As FGM is less prevalent among younger women according to City University London in 2015, this suggested a decline in the practice.

Chad

In Chad's first survey on FGM in 2004, FGM prevalence rate was 45%. A later UNICEF survey in 2014-2015 reported 38.4% FGM prevalence amongst women and girls aged 15 to 49, and 10% amongst girls 14-years old or younger. The prevalence varies with religion in Chad; FGM is prevalent in 61% of Muslim women, 31% of Catholics, 16% of Protestants, and 12% of traditional religions. The prevalence also varies with ethnic groups; the Arabs (95%), Hadjarai (94%), Ouadai (91%) and Fitri-batha (86%), and less than 2.5% among the Gorane, Tandjile and Mayo-Kebbi.Female Genital Mutilation in Chad
Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany (September 2011) Law no 6/PR/2002 on the promotion of reproductive health has provisions prohibiting FGM, but does not provide for sanctions. FGM may be punished under existing laws against assault, wounding, and mutilation of the body.

Comoros

Female genital mutilation is officially discouraged in Comoros.

Côte d'Ivoire

, UNICEF's latest data, from 2016, reports 10% of Ivory Coast girls aged 0 to 14 had been subjected to FGM, while 37% of females aged 15 to 49 had so. The latter figure is practically unchanged from a prior 2006 survey, in which the prevalence of FGM was reported at 36.4% among women there aged 15–49. A 2005 survey found that 42% of all women aged between 15 and 49 had been subjected to FGM.Female Genital Mutilation in Côte d'Ivoire
Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany (September 2011) This is similar to the FGM reported rate of 46% in 1998 and 43% in 1994. The prevalence varies with religion in Côte d'Ivoire; FGM is prevalent in 76% of Muslim women, 45% of Animist, 14% of Catholic and 13% of Protestant women. A 1998 law provides that harm to the integrity of the genital organ of a woman by complete or partial removal, excision, desensitization or by any other procedure will, if harmful to a woman's health, be punishable by imprisonment of one to five years and a fine of 360,000 to two million CFA Francs (approximately US$576–3,200). The penalty is five to twenty years incarceration if a death occurs during the procedure and up to five years' prohibition of medical practice, if this procedure is carried out by a doctor.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Female genital mutilation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is rare, but it takes place among some populations in northern parts of the country.GENDER INEQUALITY AND SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS IN THE D.R.CONGO.
peacewomen.org FGM is illegal: the law imposes a penalty of two to five years of prison and a fine of 200,000 Congolese francs on any person who violates the "physical or functional integrity" of the genital organs. The prevalence of FGM is estimated at 5% of women in the country. Type II is usually performed.

Djibouti

Estimates for FGM prevalence rate of FGM in Djibouti range from 93% to 98%. In a UNICEF 2010 report, Djibouti has the world's second highest rate of Type III FGM, with about two thirds of all Djibouti women undergoing the procedure; Type I is the next most common form of female circumcision practiced in the country.Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: Data and Trends: UPDATE 2010
UNICEF, Page 7 Like its neighboring countries, a large percentage of women in Djibouti also undergo re-infibulation after birth or a divorce.

Two thirds of the women claimed tradition and religion as the primary motivation for undergoing FGM. A predominantly Muslim country, Islamic clerics in Djibouti have been divided on the FGM issue, with some actively supporting the practice and others opposing it. FGM was outlawed in the country's revised Penal Code that went into effect in April 1995. Article 333 of the Penal Code provides that persons found guilty of this practice will face a five-year prison term and a fine of one million Djibouti francs (approximately US$5,600). Djibouti ratified the Maputo Protocol in 2005.

Egypt

, UNICEF's latest data, from 2015, reports 14% of Egyptian girls aged 0 to 14 had been subjected to FGM, while 87% of females aged 15 to 49 had so. This is down from a previous 2008 study that reported the prevalence at 91%. The 2016 UNICEF report stated that the share of girls aged 15 to 19 who had undergone FGM dropped from 97% in 1985 to 70% in 2015. The percentage of girls and women aged 15 to 49 years who had undergone FGM in the years 2004–2015 was 87%, while girls aged 0 to 14 years who had undergone FGM in the years 2010–2015 numbered 14%. Earlier, a study in 2000 found that 97% of Egypt's population practiced FGM and a 2005 study found that over 95% of Egyptian women have undergone some form of FGM. 38% of girls and women aged 15 to 49 years who had heard about FGM thought the practice should end, while 28% of the boys and men those ages did.

Although it has had limited effect, Egypt's Ministry of Health and Population has banned all forms of female genital mutilation since 2007. The ministry's order declared it is 'prohibited for any doctors, nurses, or any other person to carry out any cut of, flattening or modification of any natural part of the female reproductive system'. Islamic authorities in the nation also stressed that Islam opposes female genital mutilation. The Grand Mufti of Egypt, Ali Gomaa, said that it is "Prohibited, prohibited, prohibited."Michael, Maggie (29 June 2007)
"Egypt Officials Ban Female Circumcision"
''The Associated Press''. Egypt passed a law banning FGM. The June 2007 Ministry ban eliminated a loophole that allowed girls to undergo the procedure for health reasons.

There had previously been provisions under the Penal Code involving "wounding" and "intentional infliction of harm leading to death", as well as a ministerial decree prohibiting FGM. In December 1997, the Court of Cassation (Egypt's highest appeals court) upheld a government banning of the practice providing that those who did not comply would be subjected to criminal and administrative punishments. In Egypt's first trial for committing female genital mutilation, two men were acquitted in November 2014; the doctor was ordered to pay the girl's mother compensation. In 2015 after an appeal the doctor was sentenced to more than two years in prison and the father was given a three-month suspended sentence. On 30 May 2018, the Dar al-Ifta al-Misriyyah, a governmental body which advises on Islamic law, declared FGM 'religiously forbidden'. Health Minister Ahmed Emad el-Din Rady presented a six-step plan to eliminate FGM in Egypt by 2030.

Eritrea

The government of Eritrea surveyed and published an official FGM prevalence rate of 89% in 2003.Kuring, Diana (2008) "Female Genital Mutilation in Eritrea: Regional Variations". Ch. 4, pp. 57–120 in ''Weibliche Genitalverstümmelung in Eritrea''. Regionale Er- klärungen, nationale Ansätze und internationale Standards, Saarbrücken: VDM Verlag Dr. Müller; see summar
starting from p. 105
/ref> It was once over 93%. Historically, about 50% of the women in rural areas underwent Type III with stitching to close the vulva, while Type I and II was more common in urban areas. Overall, about a third of all women in Eritrea have undergone Type III FGM with stitching. Most FGM (68%) are performed on baby girls less than 1 year old, another 20% before they turn 5 years old. About 60% and 18% of Eritrean women believe FGM is a religious requirement, according to UNICEF, and the Eritrean government, respectively.Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting
UNICEF, (July 2013)^p. 109

The prevalence varies with woman's religion, as well as by their ethnic group. A 2002 UNICEF study shows FGM prevalence among 99% of Muslim, 89% of Catholic and 85% of Protestant women aged 15–49 years. Eritrea outlawed all forms of female genital mutilation with Proclamation 158/2007 in March 2007. The law envisions a fine and imprisonment for anyone conducting or commissioning FGM.

Ethiopia

The WHO gives a prevalence of 65% for FGM in Ethiopia (2016) in women age 15–49 and falling to 47.1 in those 15–19 years. In a 2016 UNICEF report, Ethiopia's regional prevalence of FGM is : Afar Region – 91.2%; Somali Region – 98.5%; Harari Region – 81.7%; Dire Dawa 75.3%; Amhara Region – 1.4% to 21.9%; Oromia Region – 75.6%; Addis Ababa City – 54%; Benishangul-Gumuz Region – 62.9%; Tigray Region – 24.2%; Southern Region – 62%; Gambela Region 33%. By ethnicity, it has a prevalence of 98.5% in Somali; 92.3% Hadiya; 98.4% Afar and 23% Tigray. The prevalence also varies with religion in Ethiopia; FGM is prevalent in 92% of Muslim women and with lower prevalence in other religions: 65.8% Protestants, 58.2% Catholics and 55% Traditional Religions. FGM has been made illegal by the 2004 Penal Code.

Gambia

Female genital mutilation is prevalent in The Gambia."FGC Prevalence Rates Diagram"
African Women's Health Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, accessed 7 September 2011. A 2006 UNICEF survey found a 78.3% prevalence rate in The Gambia. In a 2013 report, an estimated 76.3% of girls and women have been subjected to FGM/C. As FGM is less prevalent among younger women according to City University London in 2015, this suggested a decline in the practice.

The Gambia's predominant religion is Islam (90%), and it has many ethnic groups. Prevalence rates of FGM/C vary significantly between the ethnic groups: Sarahule (FGM rate of 98%), Mandinka (97%), Djola (87%), Serer (43%), and Wolof (12%). Urban areas report FGM/C rates of about 56%, whereas in rural areas, rates exceed 90%. A majority of Gambian women who underwent FGM/C claimed they did it primarily because religion mandates it. The age when FGM is done on Gambian girls ranges from 7 days after birth up to pre-adolescence.

A 2011 clinical study reports 66% FGMs in The Gambia were Type I, 26% were Type II and 8% Type III. About a third of all women in Gambia with FGM/C, including Type I, suffered health complications because of the procedure. In 2015, Gambia's president Yahya Jammeh has banned FGM.

Ghana

Female genital mutilation is present in Ghana in some regions of the country, primarily in the north of the country, in Upper East Region. According to the WHO, its prevalence is 3.8%. In 1989, the head of the government of Ghana, President Rawlings, issued a formal declaration against FGM. Article 39 of Ghana's Constitution also provides in part that traditional practices that are injurious to a person's health and well being are abolished. The Criminal Code was amended in 1994 to outlaw FGM, and the law was strengthened in 2007. Ghana ratified the Maputo Protocol in 2007.

Guinea

Guinea has the second highest FGM prevalence rate in the world. In a 2005 survey, 96% of all Guinea women aged between 15 and 49 had been cut.Female Genital Mutilation in Guinea
Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany (September 2011) That is a slight decline in the practice from the 1999 recorded FGM rate of 98.6%. Among the 15- to 19-year-olds the prevalence was 89%, among 20- to 24-year-olds 95%. About 50% of the women in Guinea believe FGM is a religious requirement. Guinea is predominantly a Muslim country, with 90% of the population practicing Islam. The high FGM rates are observed across all religions in Guinea; FGM is prevalent in 99% of Muslim women, 94% of Catholics and Protestants, and 93% of Animist women.

FGM is illegal in Guinea under Article 265 of the Penal Code. The law sentences death to the perpetrator if the girl dies within 40 days after the FGM.LEGISLATION TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION (FGM)
Berhane Ras-Work, United Nations (May 21, 2009) Article 6 of the Guinean Constitution, which outlaws cruel and inhumane treatment, could be interpreted to include these practices, should a case be brought to the Supreme Court. Guinea signed the Maputo Protocol in 2003 but has not ratified it.

Article 305 of Guinea's penal code also bans FGM, but nobody has yet been sentenced under any of Guinea's FGM-related laws. In Guinea, instead of stopping FGM, the trend is towards medicalization of FGM, where the mutilation is advertised under hygienic conditions by medically trained staff, who see FGM practice an additional source of income. Per the above 2005 survey, 27% of girls were cut by medically trained staff.

Guinea-Bissau

Female genital mutilation is present in Guinea-Bissau, and have been estimated at a 50% prevalence rate in 2000. A law banning the practice nationwide was adopted by Parliament in June 2011 with 64 votes to 1. At the time, 45% of women aged 15 to 49 years were affected by FGM. According to a survey, 33% of women favoured a continuation of genital cutting, but 50% of the overall population wanted to abandon the practice.

Kenya

Female genital mutilation is present in Kenya. The 2014 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) estimated the national prevalence of FGM to be 21% among women age 15–49, down from 27% in the 2008/09 survey and 32 percent in the 2003 survey. The prevalence of FGM in 2014 varied widely by age, location, ethnic group, and religion. Prevalence of FGM increases with age. It is lowest among women ages 15–19 at 11.4%, and highest among women aged 45–49 at 40.9%. This trend underscores the declining trend in FGM over time. In March 2020, the percentage of women and girls aged 15 to 49 living in Kenya who had undergone FGM was reportedly still 21%.

By region, prevalence in 2014 was highest in the former provinces of North Eastern (97.5%), Nyanza (32.4%), Rift Valley (26.9%), and Eastern (26.4%), and lower in Central (16.5%), Coast (10.2%), Nairobi (8.0%), and Western (0.8%). It is more common in rural areas (25.9%) than urban (13.8%). By ethnic group, FGM is most prevalent among women in the Somali (93.6%), Samburu (86.0%), Kisii (84.4%), and Maasai (77.9%) ethnic groups. By religion, it is more prevalent in Muslim women (51.1%) and women listing no religion (32.9%) and less prevalent in Roman Catholic (21.5%) and Protestant or other Christian women (17.9%).

In 2001 Kenya enacted the Children's Act, under the provisions of which FGM was criminalized when practiced on girls younger than 18.Female Genital Mutilation in Kenya
Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany (September 2011) The practice was made illegal nationwide in September 2011.

Liberia

Female genital mutilation is prevalent in Liberia. Genital mutilation is a taboo subject in Liberia. It is difficult to get accurate data on FGM prevalence rate. The FGM procedure is mandatory for initiation of women into the secret Liberia and Sierra Leone society called the Sande society, sometimes called Bondo. A 2007 demographic survey asked women if they belonged to Sande society. It was assumed that those who were part of Sande society had undergone FGM. Based on this estimation method, the prevalence of FGM in Liberia has been estimated as 58%.Female Genital Mutilation in Liberia
Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany (September 2011) Liberia has consented to international charters such as CEDAW as well as Africa's Maputo Protocol. National legislation explicitly making FGM punishable by law has yet to be passed. As FGM was less prevalent among younger women in a 2015 study, this suggested a decline in the practice.

Libya

Female genital mutilation is discouraged in Libya and as of 2007 had been practiced only in remote areas by migrants from other African countries.

Malawi

Female genital mutilation is practiced in Malawi mostly in the following districts. Southern Malawi: Mulanje, Thyolo, Mangochi and parts of Machinga and Chiradzuro District. In the Northern part of Malawi: Nkhatabay. This custom is common among the Tonga tribe, Yao tribe and Lomwe tribe. It is a custom which has been there for generations. In some villages it is deeply rooted compared to others. Every FGM camp has its own degree of how deep they want to conduct the custom but the motive is the same. It is shrouded in silence. Not even the government authorities can trace the roots because the high powers are given to the local authorities of the village and clan.

Mali

Female genital mutilation is prevalent in Mali. The WHO gives a prevalence of 85.2% for women aged 15–49 in 2006 in Mali. In a 2007 report, 92% of all Mali women between the ages of 15 and 49 had been subjected to FGM. The rates of FGM are lower only among the Sonrai (28%), the Tamachek (32%) and the Bozo people (76%). Nearly half are Type I, another half Type II.Female Genital Mutilation in Mali
Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany (November 2007) The prevalence varies with religion in Mali; FGM is prevalent in 92% of Muslim women, 76% of Christians.

About 64% of the women of Mali believe FGM is a religious requirement. In 2002, Mali created a government program aimed at discouraging FGM (''Ordinance No. 02-053 portant creation du programme national de lutte contre la pratique de l’excision'' rdinance creating a National Program to Fight the Practice of Female Genital Mutilation. There is no specific legislation criminalizing FGM.

Mauritania

Female genital mutilation is prevalent in Mauritania. According to 2001 survey, 71% of all women aged between 15 and 49 had undergone FGM. A 2007 demographic cluster study found no change in FGM prevalence rate in Mauritania.Female Genital Mutilation in Mauritania
Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany (September 2011) Type II FGM is most frequent. About 57% of Mauritania women believe FGM is a religious requirement. Mauritania is 99% Muslim. The FGM prevalence rate varies by ethnic groups: 92% of Soninke women are cut, about 70% of Fulbe and Moorish women, but only 28% of Wolof women have undergone FGM. Mauritania has consented to international charters such as CEDAW as well as Africa's Maputo Protocol. Ordonnance n°2005-015 on child protection restricts FGM.

Niger

Female genital mutilation is present in Niger

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