International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation 2026

International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, observed on February 6, serves as a call to confront this harmful practice. The 2026 theme, “No End to FGM Without Sustained Commitment and Investment,” emphasizes that ending FGM demands more than words; it requires long-term investment, firm political leadership, robust legal frameworks, and ongoing community engagement.

Female genital mutilation refers to all procedures involving the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. It is most often carried out on young girls, sometimes even infants, and has no health benefits. Instead, it causes severe physical pain, psychological trauma, lifelong health complications, and, in some cases, death.

FGM is not just a cultural issue. It is a form of violence. It denies girls bodily autonomy, endangers their health, and limits their future opportunities. Without sustained investment in education, healthcare, survivor support, and grassroots advocacy, progress remains fragile and easily reversed.

In Nigeria, millions of girls are still at risk of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), despite decades of awareness campaigns and legal frameworks. The scars, both visible and invisible, persist across communities, leaving survivors with lifelong physical and emotional pain.

Speaking on the importance of this year’s observance, Arabinrin Aderonke Atoyebi, Executive Director of FAME Foundation, said;

“FGM is not culture. It is harmful. Victims bleed, suffer chronic pain, and lose their confidence because of it. When we have accurate information about the physical and emotional consequences, they choose protection over tradition.”

She further highlighted the cost of silence and inaction;

“Laws are only words until people know them and live by them. When communities, religious leaders, and families understand the pain FGM causes and speak against it, we begin to break the cycle that has held girls hostage for generations.”

Arabinrin Aderonke Atoyebi concluded with a call to collective responsibility;

“This is a violation of rights with no benefit to girls or women. We must end it through coordinated action, including laws, education, survivor care, and community courage, so a child’s body is no longer a battlefield for outdated practices. Every girl cut is a failure of protection. If we are not investing in her safety, we are complicit in her harm. There will be no end to FGM without sustained commitment and investment. This generation must choose courage over silence and action over excuses. Girls’ lives depend on it.”

FAME Foundation is calling for stronger enforcement of anti-FGM laws, increased funding for survivor-centered healthcare and psychosocial services, and expanded community-based education that empowers parents, traditional leaders, men, boys, and young people to reject FGM permanently.