These operations, which cause harm to female genitalia, represent a serious violation of human rights, affecting life, health, and bodily integrity. As a result, more than 230 million women and girls worldwide have already suffered from such interventions. Additionally, another 23 million girls are at risk in the coming years.
The physical and mental health of women and girls is significantly harmed by this practice, leading to severe long-term complications, with annual treatment costs estimated at around $1.4 billion.
According to the UN, every investment in combating mutilating operations can yield a tenfold return. An amount of $2.8 billion could prevent 20 million cases of female genital mutilation and provide an economic benefit of $28 billion.
It is worth noting that over the past thirty years, efforts to eradicate this practice have begun to bear fruit.
Today, nearly two-thirds of the population in countries where female genital mutilation is prevalent support its elimination.
Since 1990, in regions where this practice occurs, the proportion of girls undergoing mutilation has decreased from one in two to one in three.
However, UN experts emphasize that this is still not enough to achieve the sustainable development goal of completely ending mutilating operations by 2030.
