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Your Impact: Female genital mutilation outlawed in Sudan!

Now that Sudan has banned FGM, UNFPA will continue to work with communities to ensure that girls are no longer abused. © Sufian Abdulmouty/UNFPA Sudan

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is the piercing, cutting, removing, or sewing closed of a girl’s external genitalia for no medical reason. Women who’ve been subjected to FGM are at risk of a lifetime of physical and emotional pain.

Although internationally condemned, FGM persists. In many countries, FGM is a rite of passage or a prerequisite for marriage. In Sudan, 88 percent of women and girls ages 15-49 have been forced to endure FGM.

But no more!

On July 9, Sudan’s government outlawed FGM—a historic victory for public health, human rights, and gender equality. It is also a testament to the power of donor generosity!

Massimo Diana, UNFPA’s Representative in Sudan, called the decision “a landmark achievement. Our agency is on the front lines of ending FGM. Now we will ensure that practice follows policy.”

To end FGM, UNFPA partners with local organizations to promote “collective abandonment.” When a whole community—including religious leaders, respected elders, and others— pledges to keep their daughters uncut, one girl or family is not disadvantaged by the decision.

With your support, you’ll help UNFPA mobilize midwives and other health workers to resist pressure to perform FGM. Instead, these healthcare workers will serve as advocates for women and girls in their communities.

Dana Kirkegaard
Your support helps UNFPA care for women and girls when they need it most.

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