A moment to take stock of progress, recognize what has worked and confront the scale of what remains to be done to end this harmful practice.





The observance of the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), observed each year on 6 February, marks a moment to take stock of progress, recognize what has worked and confront the scale of what remains to be done to end this harmful practice. In 2026, an estimated 4 million girls, many under the age of five, are at risk of undergoing FGM. If current trends continue, 22.7 million additional girls will be affected by 2030. More than 230 million girls and women alive today have undergone FGM. FGM is a violation of human rights and has serious, lifelong physical and mental health consequences, with global treatment costs estimated to be at least USD 1.4 billion every year.



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