Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Nigeria accounts for the third‑highest number of women and girls worldwide who have undergone the practice, with an estimated 19.9 million survivors, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Both agencies also report that 4.3 million girls are at risk of FGM this year, a figure projected to rise to 4.6 million by 2030. In a joint statement released on Monday, the agencies warned that without urgent action the global target of ending FGM by 2030 will be missed. They highlighted February 6 as the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, aimed at amplifying efforts to eliminate the practice. This year’s theme, “Partnership with Men and Boys to Transform Social and Gender Norms to End FGM,” underscores the crucial role of men and boys in changing the attitudes that sustain FGM.
FGM encompasses all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other non‑medical injuries to the genital organs. Experts agree that the practice offers no health benefits and can cause severe bleeding, urinary problems, cysts, infections, complications during childbirth, and an increased risk of newborn deaths. The agencies noted that conflict, climate change, rising poverty, and inequality are hindering progress by reinforcing the gender and social norms that underpin FGM and disrupting programmes that protect girls.
In Nigeria, the risk of cutting is highest in the first five years of life, with 86 percent of girls circumcised before age 5 (National Demographic and Health Survey 2018). However, prevalence is declining. Data from the 2021 Multiple Indicator Survey show a drop among women aged 15‑49 from 18 percent in 2016‑17 to 15 percent in 2021, and among girls aged 0‑14 from 25 percent to 8 percent over the same period. Despite this progress, twelve states still report prevalence rates above the national average, ranging from 9 percent in Edo to 35 percent in Kwara and Kano.
The UN agencies stress that FGM violates the rights of women and girls, limiting their health, education, and economic opportunities. Rooted in gender inequality and power imbalances, it is a form of gender‑based violence that harms bodies, dims futures, and endangers lives. Changing the gender and social norms that encourage FGM is essential, and men and boys are increasingly recognized as powerful allies. They are challenging family and community power dynamics and supporting women and girls as agents of change.
Since 2018, the UNFPA‑UNICEF Global Joint Programme on the Elimination of FGM has supported over 3,000 initiatives worldwide, with 807 men’s and boys’ networks engaged in Nigeria. These networks provide safe spaces for critical reflection on gender discrimination, power dynamics, positive masculinities, and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education, helping participants understand the consequences of FGM.
UNFPA Resident Representative Ulla Mueller emphasized that men and boys remain key partners in addressing gender inequalities and harmful practices, urging collective action to achieve the 2030 goal. UNICEF Nigeria Country Representative Cristian Munduate added that men and boys are now more receptive to change and, in some communities, more likely to oppose FGM and domestic violence than women and girls.
On this International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM, the agencies call on all stakeholders to partner with men and boys to shift unequal power relations and challenge the attitudes and behaviours driven by gender inequality. They urge the integration of gender‑transformative approaches and the adoption of national policies and legislation that protect the rights of girls and women, including the development of national action plans to end FGM. The statement concludes that urgent, targeted, and concerted efforts are needed to turn the shared goal of ending FGM into reality, protecting millions of girls and women at risk and consigning the practice to history.
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