Female genital mutilation (FGM) is not prohibited under Malian law despite repeated advocacy efforts to ban the practice. As a result, Mali is becoming a regional destination for parents looking to have their children undergo FGM, coming from surrounding countries where this harmful practice has been banned. Official records show that 89 per cent of women 15 to 49 years old in the country have undergone FGM, with over 2 million girls yearly experiencing it worldwide. However, there are no health benefits to the practice, which inflicts profound physical, emotional, and psychological trauma on those affected by it. Entrenched societal and cultural norms perpetuating the practice pose a major barrier to its elimination and a whole-of-society approach will be required to eradicate female genital mutilation.
Compiled from: “Female genital mutilation in Mali: The fight to end a deadly tradition,” UN Women, Feb. 3, 2025.