NAIROBI, Kenya- The European Union has renewed its commitment to ending female genital mutilation (FGM), describing the practice as a grave violation of human rights that must be eradicated worldwide.
In a joint statement issued ahead of the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, EU High Representative and Vice-President Kaja Kallas, Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu and Commissioner Hadja Lahbib said FGM remains a tool of control and oppression inflicted on women and girls, with no medical, cultural or ethical justification.
More than 200 million women and girls globally are affected by FGM, according to international estimates.
Within Europe alone, at least 600,000 women are living with its consequences, while about 190,000 girls across 17 European countries are considered at risk.
The EU said eliminating FGM is central to its broader goal of ending all forms of violence against women and girls and advancing gender equality.
The bloc reaffirmed this position during last week’s Foreign Affairs Council, where it committed to tackling sexual and gender-based violence in all its forms.
Significant legal steps have already been taken. Under the 2024 EU Directive on combating violence against women and domestic violence, all member states are required to criminalise female genital mutilation as a standalone offence.
The directive also strengthens prevention measures, improves support for survivors and enhances data collection to better track the scale of the problem.
The EU stressed that ending FGM requires sustained action at global, national and community levels.
As part of this effort, it has invested in awareness campaigns, community engagement initiatives and partnerships with international organisations aimed at challenging harmful social norms that allow the practice to persist.
Since 2016, cooperation with United Nations agencies, including UNFPA and UNICEF, has played a key role in protecting girls at risk and supporting survivors.
The EU has also been a major backer of the UN-led Spotlight Initiative, which focuses on eliminating violence against women and girls.
FGM is defined by the World Health Organization as all procedures involving partial or total removal of the female external genitalia or other injury to female genital organs for non-medical reasons.
The EU says its eradication is part of a wider legal and policy framework on gender equality and child protection.
This includes the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child adopted in 2021, a 2024 recommendation on strengthening child protection systems, and the bloc’s accession to the Istanbul Convention in 2023, which obliges parties to criminalise FGM.
Beyond Europe, the EU’s efforts are guided by its Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy, the Gender Equality Strategy, and the Gender Action Plan III, extended until 2027.
Funding support continues through programmes such as the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme, which allocated €23 million in 2025 to projects addressing gender-based violence.
The EU has also enabled national authorities since 2023 to issue alerts through the Schengen Information System for children and vulnerable adults at risk of gender-based violence, including FGM.
The bloc said it would not relent in its efforts until every woman and girl can live free from the threat of female genital mutilation, in safety and dignity.
