TEJASHREE ANANT SALVI
The International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation is observed on February 6th (FGM). This year's theme is "Accelerating Investment to End FGM," which calls for assistance for programmers that offer services and respond to individuals impacted and at risk, as well as in creating and implementing legislation and building institutional capacity to end the practice. WHO and HRP have introduced two new tools to assist healthcare practitioners in
providing the greatest quality treatment to girls and women who have been subjected to FGM –as well as to support worldwide efforts to eradicate this damaging practice and human rights violation. Quality research can only be achieved when all study participants' human rights are protected and respected. However, until now, precise ethical advice for researching female genital mutilation (FGM) was absent. The World Health Organization has issued a new guidance paper to enhance the ethical conduct of all FGM research: Ethical concerns in research on female genital mutilation. This is being released in conjunction with a new paper from WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, and the Population Council of Kenya - the research agenda to increase evidence creation and utilization to speed the elimination of female genital mutilation.
Ending Female Genital Mutilation by 2030
Female genital mutilation (FGM) refers to any treatment that involves modifying or hurting the female genitalia for non-medical reasons, and it is widely recognized as a violation of girls and women's human rights, health, and integrity. Short-term problems include intense pain, shock, heavy bleeding, infections, and trouble passing urine, as well as long-term consequences for their sexual and reproductive health and mental health for girls who undergo female genital mutilation. Female genital mutilation is a worldwide phenomenon that is prevalent in certain Asian and Latin American countries, despite being largely concentrated in 30 African and Middle Eastern countries. Immigrant populations in Western Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand continue to practice female genital mutilation.
In 2021, the COVID-19 epidemic has disproportionately harmed girls and women, leading to a shadow pandemic that threatens SDG 5.3, which calls for the abolition of all harmful practices, including female genital mutilation. By 2030, UNFPA projects that another 2 million girls will be at risk of female genital mutilation. In response to this disruption, the UN has been adopting
interventions that enable the incorporation of female genital mutilation in humanitarian and post-crisis response through the UNFPA-UNICEF joint initiative. Coordinated and systematic efforts are needed to eradicate female genital mutilation, and they must involve entire communities and
focus on human rights, gender equality, sexual education, and the needs of women and girls who suffer from its consequences.