International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation 2024
Her Voice. Her Future. Investing in FGM Survivor-Led Movements to End Female Genital Mutilation
About
The International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) observed every year on February 6th marks an important day for the world community. It provides an opportunity to forge stronger ties and take concerted action to reinforce our commitments to eliminate this harmful practice which continues to impact the lives of millions of women and girls. In 2024, nearly 4.4 million girls - or more than 12,000 each day - are at risk of FGM around the world. Despite tremendous progress made over the years, FGM continues to remain a serious challenge in many countries.
This year, as we observe the 13th anniversary of this international day with a theme that focuses on commemorating ‘Her Voice. Her Future. Investing in Survivor-Led Movements to End Female Genital Mutilation.’ Survivors of FGM play a huge role in confronting communities about the serious impacts of FGM and disrupting gender biased social norms that perpetuate this harmful practice. Amplifying the voices of survivors goes a long way in building collective action, creating safe spaces for open dialogue without any stigma or bias, and strengthening FGM elimination efforts and interventions at global, regional, and country levels. These initiatives further advance progress to achieve the 2030 Agenda of Sustainable Development.
UNICEF thereby calls on the global community to sustain the momentum towards achievement of SDG 5.3 by accelerating investment in survivor-led movements and elevating the voices of survivors, leading to the elimination of FGM.
For more information about FGM and the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme, click here (https://www.unicef.org/protection/unfpa-unicef-joint-programme-eliminating-fgm)
The advocacy flyer and key messages in English, French, and Arabic can be found on the right-hand side of this page.
Human Interest Stories
Voices of Survivors: Testimonies
Mariam, a resilient young woman in the desert
Girls’ health and education: Indivisible rights, smart co-investments
In Kaédi, new generation educators committed to fighting female genital mutilation!
Fight against FGM in Boké, Conakry and Kindia
Art in the in the service of ending FGM
Young and committed to girls well-being in Mali
How a mother-to-mother support group in Sudan’s East is leading the way for improved quality of life
