Female genital mutilation (FGM) continues to threaten the lives, health, and futures of girls across Africa, despite global commitments to end the practise by 2030. In Uganda’s Karamoja sub-region, FGM remains deeply rooted. Poverty, stigma, and cross-border cutting hinder enforcement of national laws, especially in districts like Amudat.
A Survivor’s Story: Escaping Female Genital Mutilation
For Sharon Chelimo, the threat of FGM was personal. While visiting her father, a schoolgirl overheard plans for her to undergo the procedure.
“I realised I was in danger,” Chelimo recalls.
She fled, crossed a river, and ran to safety. Though she escaped, rumours spread that she had been cut. Classmates mocked her, and the stigma forced her to leave school.
Later, she became a young mother after refusing pressure to terminate her pregnancy. With support from ActionAid, a UNFPA partner, she rebuilt her life. Today, she shelters girls fleeing FGM and campaigns against early marriage. Despite threats and violence, she persists in her work.
FGM Prevalence in Uganda and Karamoja
National data show low overall FGM rates in Uganda. The Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS) 2022 reports a prevalence of 0.2% among women aged 15–49, down from 0.6% in 2006 and 1.4% in 2011.
However, FGM remains concentrated in Karamoja, with a prevalence of 6.4%. Among the Pokot, it reaches 95%, and among the Sabiny, rates approach 50%. In Amudat District, 43% of women and girls aged 10–59 have undergone FGM, according to a 2020 UBOS/UNFPA survey.
Communities typically subject girls aged 10 and above to Types II and III FGM, usually performed by untrained older women.
Uganda outlawed FGM in 2010 through the Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act, yet the practise persists clandestinely. Funding shortages and weak enforcement slow progress.
While over 80% of Ugandan women support ending FGM, social norms still drive the practise. As 2030 approaches, Sustainable Development Goal 5.3 calls for its elimination. However, experts warn current efforts are insufficient.
The African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) has renewed calls to end FGM. During the International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM 2026, Special Rapporteur Hon. Hermine Kembo Takam Gatsing stressed that FGM breaches girls’ rights to health, dignity, and development.
The theme for 2026 was: “Towards 2030: No End to FGM Without Sustained Commitment and Investment.”
The Committee emphasised that governments must go beyond legislation and address social and economic drivers. Member states should allocate adequate budgets, bolster child protection systems, and improve reporting.
Globally, FGM remains widespread. In 2016, an estimated 200 million women and girls had undergone FGM. By 2024, this number increased to over 230 million — a 15% rise in eight years.
Nearly one-third of cases are in Asia, affecting around 80 million girls and women.
Experts also warn about the medicalisation of FGM, where healthcare professionals increasingly perform it in some countries, falsely legitimising the practise. However, FGM provides no health benefits, causing infections, chronic pain, childbirth complications, and long-term trauma.
Survivor and nurse-epidemiologist Catherine Menganyi from Kenya states that communities must lead change.
“My journey began when I knew where the shoe hurts most,” she says.
Menganyi endured FGM herself and now works to protect girls from similar harm. She views FGM as part of a broader system exerting control over women’s bodies and limiting their choices.
Advocates also highlight the importance of strategic litigation. Although 59 countries criminalise FGM, prosecutions are rare, and survivors often struggle to access justice.
As the 2030 deadline nears, campaigners warn that FGM will persist without sustained political will and funding. Survivors like Sharon Chelimo show resilience, but they cannot bear the burden alone.
Ending FGM demands coordinated action. Governments, communities, and international partners must invest steadily and act decisively. Without this commitment, millions of girls will continue to face preventable harm.o face preventable harm.
