MONICA KAYOMBO, Zambia, Lusaka
58 months left to keep the promise and end Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) cutting and ensure menstrual health where no one is left behind, stakeholders have remained resolute to end the vice.
Many countries in Africa continue witnessing FGM despite many efforts by Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) to discourage the practice as it has many physical, mental and health effects on women.
Sexual Health with Equity and Rights (SHE & Rights) initiative has also continued to add their voice to curb this inhuman practice that has unfortunately affected most women physically and psychologically.
In a recent virtual meeting by SHE & Rights hosted in collaboration with Global Center for Health Diplomacy and Inclusion (CeHDI), Women Deliver Conference 2026, International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW), Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR), Asia Pacific Media Alliance for Health, Gender and Development Justice (APCAT Media) and CNS, the stakeholders say they will leave no stone un turned to ensure the rights of women are defended.
On February 6, SHE & Rights feminists held a virtual session to mark International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM/cutting (FGM/C) and invited Ms Catherine Meng’anyo to share her experience with FGM.
The Organisation emphasised that the FGM practice violates a person’s right to health, safety, and bodily integrity and, in the most tragic cases, their right to life.
All world leaders had promised to end female genital mutilation/cutting by 2030 as enshrined in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) numbers 5 and 3 and ensure menstrual health “where no one is left behind” by 2030 as emphasized in SDG-3, 4, 5, 6. But progress is way off the mark, say experts at SHE & Rights session held in February 2026, ahead of the upcoming 70th intergovernmental Session of UN Commission on Status of Women (CSW70).
In a separate interview, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Regional Gender and Human Rights Advisor Dr Tapiwa Uchizi Nyasulu explains that there are several health risks associated with FGM.
“The health risks are alarming as these harmful practices leads to maternal mortality, fistula, early marriages, and teenage pregnancies,’’ she says.
Dr Nyasulu explains that FGM that comes in different forms including labia elongation are also associated with sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS and many girls drop out of school.
FGM also has emotional and psychological impacts as survivors often face stigma and trauma, affecting their daily lives.
She said Fistula brings about stigma and has many hygiene issues, including bacterial infections.
“The belief that those who do not undergo FGM are taken as unclean in society should be ended, owing to the proved health complications and other side effects of the practice,” Dr Nyasulu emphasized.
In the report World Health Oragnisation report, it is revealed that in 2026 alone, an estimated 4.5 million girls, many under the age of five, are at risk of undergoing FGM.
WHO observes that currently, more than 230 million girls and women are living with the lifelong consequences of FGM.
