The practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) has continued to decline around the world, including in high prevalence countries where the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have been implementing the Joint Programme on Female Genital Mutilation: Accelerating Change. The programme seeks to eliminate FGM in one generation. In the 30 countries with nationally representative FGM prevalence data, around one in three girls aged 15–19 today have undergone the practice versus one in two in the mid-1980s. Decline in FGM among girls aged 15–19 has occurred across countries with various levels of FGM prevalence, including Burkina Faso, Egypt and Kenya.
However, with population growth rates being especially high in Africa, and an estimated 50 million girls are therefore at risk of FGM in Africa between now and 2030, concerted efforts are required to ensure that FGM rates continue to decline to counter this trend.
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