FGM rate in Egypt decreased among girls from 1 to 9 years old to 14%: Health Ministry

CAIRO – 12 December 2022:  Egypt’s Ministry of Health revealed on Monday that female genital mutilations (FGM) rate in Egypt has decreased among females from the age of one day to 9 years to 14 per cent, compared to the 2014 rate.

Dr Fatima Zanaty, general supervisor of the Egyptian Family Health Survey, said that the rate of FGM decreased from 2014 to 2021, from 22% to 14%, with up to 8 percent.

Zanaty explained that the past 15 years witnessed a great development in the rate of female genital mutilations in Egypt.

She also noted that FGM among girls from 0 to 17 years old decreased from 28% to 12%, and the rate of FGM among girls under 19 years old decreased from 22% to 14%, Which means that FGM rates is still decreasing annually by 1%.

Last August, Consultant to Chairman of the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) Abdel Hamid Sharaf El Din stated in a press conference that 74 percent of FGM victims aged below 19, were subjected to the crime by doctors.

Nevertheless, FGM dropped from 92 percent in 2014 to 86 percent in 2021, where the regression happening mostly among females aged below 19, the consultant to CAPMAS chairman pointed out.

Sharaf El Din added that FGM victims composed 14 percent of females aged below 19 in 2021, down from 21 percent in 2014. As for the percentage of those at risk, it fell from 56 percent in 2014 to 27 percent in 2021.

Further, FGM decreased among married/used to be married women to be 86 percent in 2021, compared to 92 percent. The current percentages in rural and urban areas are 86.6 percent and 76.7 percent, respectively.

Sadly, FGM rose in Upper Egypt to become 92 percent, with the percentage in Upper Egyptian rural areas being 93.4 percent.

The House of Representatives Approved in March 2021 toughening the penalties imposed on medics who carry out Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

According to the amendments, committing the crime incurs five years in prison, and not less than seven years, if a permanent damage occurs. If the victim dies as a consequence, the culprit shall be sentenced to at least 10 years of prison.