Survivors in the lead: How communities are dismantling female genital mutilation from within

UNITED NATIONS, New York – Female genital mutilation is widely recognised as a violation of the fundamental rights of women and girls, with deep and often life-threatening physical and psychological consequences. It has no health benefits and leaves lifelong scars on those subjected to it.

Progress is being made. Over the past decade, the share of girls subjected to female genital mutilation has fallen from one in two to one in three globally. This shift has been driven by policy reform, mentoring initiatives, education and, crucially, by communities themselves challenging the practice from within.

Yet the scale of the challenge remains severe. More than 230 million girls and women alive today are living with the consequences of female genital mutilation. In 2026 alone, nearly 4.5 million girls, more than half of them under the age of five, are at risk of undergoing the procedure.

A persistent obstacle to ending the practice is the belief that abandonment efforts are imposed by foreign actors. Evidence from across Africa shows the opposite. Survivors, religious leaders, lawmakers, men, boys and health professionals are leading resistance at community level, reshaping norms using local authority and lived experience.

Tanzania: Survivors turning pain into leadership

In Tanzania’s Mara region, where female genital mutilation remains deeply entrenched, survivor leadership is reshaping long-held norms. Olivia Albert was cut at the age of 13, just before returning to school. At the time, she said she hid her pain because everyone around her insisted the practice was normal.

It was only after joining a community dialogue that she realised others shared her experience and doubts. The dialogue was supported by the United Nations Population Fund but driven by community members themselves. Today, Olivia leads a youth advocacy group that works in schools, engages traditional leaders and supports women’s and children’s protection committees to create safe spaces for girls at risk and ensure cases are reported.

She says survivor voices carry particular weight. When girls hear from someone who has lived through the experience, they listen differently. Courage, she argues, grows through recognition and shared truth.

Survivor leadership, however, is only one part of the shift. In many communities, religious authority remains decisive in shaping social norms.

Guinea: Faith leaders challenging harmful interpretations

In Guinea’s Kindia prefecture, Imam Ousmane Yabara Camara has emerged as a respected voice against female genital mutilation. Using his authority as a religious leader and former school teacher, he speaks openly during sermons to state that the practice is not prescribed by Islam and has no religious basis.

Although female genital mutilation has been illegal in Guinea for more than 20 years, prevalence among women over 15 remains above 95 per cent. Among girls under 15, however, the rate has fallen to just under 40 per cent. The Imam describes this gap as visible evidence that social change is underway.

He has also called for the issue to be addressed through education, arguing that safeguarding tradition does not require harming girls. Thousands of children now learn about the practice in schools that increasingly include comprehensive sexuality education.

Religious leadership becomes even more influential when it is reinforced by clear national policy.

Eritrea, Somalia and Djibouti: Law and faith reinforcing each other

In Eritrea, Somalia and Djibouti, national action has strengthened community resistance. In 2025, Islamic scholars in all three countries issued a fatwa stating that there are no religious grounds to justify female genital mutilation. This was combined with constitutional provisions explicitly banning the practice.

For community activist Nafissa Mahamoud Mouhoumed of the Elle et Elles network, this alignment has shifted conversations at neighbourhood level. Families are now told that both religion and the state protect their daughters, removing a justification that had endured for generations.

Yet even these gains remain fragile. Shrinking funding, competing global crises and growing resistance to gender equality mean that progress can stall or reverse without sustained commitment.

Laws and fatwas alone do not change behaviour. In many settings, it is everyday family decision-making, often led by men, that determines whether the practice continues.

Ethiopia: Men and boys stepping into responsibility

In Ethiopia, where around three quarters of women and girls aged 15 to 49 have undergone female genital mutilation, engaging men and boys has become central to abandonment efforts. Through the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme, community dialogues are tailored for elder men, young unmarried men, women and young people.

Local district chief Mitiku Gunte recalled years of witnessing childbirth complications, sometimes costing the lives of both mother and baby. Concerns existed, but there was no clear path to action. Training and collective engagement provided the evidence and confidence needed to intervene.

For farmer Dawit Mohammed, learning about the direct link between female genital mutilation and maternal injuries transformed quiet opposition into public advocacy. Improvements in his own household’s wellbeing have become living proof for neighbours that abandoning the practice brings tangible benefits.

As awareness grows, another challenge has come into sharper focus: the belief that involving medical professionals makes the practice safer.

Egypt: Health workers confronting medicalisation

In Egypt, medicalisation remains a growing concern. Around one quarter of survivors aged 15 to 49 were cut by a healthcare provider, and adolescents are twice as likely as older women to be subjected to female genital mutilation in medical settings. Health experts stress that the involvement of professionals does not reduce harm and offers no medical justification.

In Sohag governorate, family doctor Maram Mahmoud says she often treats girls and women after serious damage has already been done. Through the UNFPA-led White Coats Against Female Genital Mutilation initiative, she works with other health professionals to resist social pressure, challenge myths and explain the long-term health consequences to families considering the procedure.

Ending female genital mutilation requires more than condemnation. It demands trust in communities, sustained investment and the courage to confront deeply rooted norms. Across Africa, where most societies are young and social change is often hard won, progress is being driven by those most affected. Survivors, families and local leaders are proving that transformation is strongest when it grows from within, offering hope that the next generation of African girls can grow up free from fear and harm.

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