This statement was broadcasted at the 49th Session of the Human Rights Council Interactive Dialogue with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children on March 15th, 2022. Click here to watch the statement being delivered.

I am Keshia Mahmood from the Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW) and I am making this statement on behalf of the Asia Network to End Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C). 

The Asia Pacific region is home to a large but neglected population of children and adolescents. In 2017, almost one in four persons in Asia was below the age of 15^[1]. Around half of this population comprises girls, who suffer from the double burden of age and gender and their needs are usually further neglected. Since the onset of the pandemic, the rise of a ‘shadow pandemic’ of gender-based violence has put girls in this region at even greater risk of harmful practices such as child marriage and female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C). Globally, an estimated 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone FGM/C, which is a violation of girls’ human rights and is often a precursor to child, early and forced marriage, which usually ends a girl’s education and dims her economic prospects^[2].

FGM/C is a manifestation of gender inequality, and is held in place by harmful gender norms that define the limits of a girl’s aspirations and opportunities^[3]. The bodies of adolescent girls are marked with society’s control, yet their sexuality is only meant to be expressed within the framework of marriage. In Asia, the practice of FGM/C affects women and girls in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Brunei, Thailand, the Philippines, Maldives, India, and Pakistan. Driven by religious and cultural obligations, many communities subject girls to circumcision to curb their sexual desire and deter them from becoming “promiscuous”^[4]. The age at which women and girls are subjected to the practice varies from the first week of life right up to after the delivery of the first child, but there is a trend towards girls being cut at younger ages. Studies have shown that the majority of girls are being cut under the age of 5 (Maldives), before their first birthday (Malaysia), and at less than 6 months old (Indonesia), amounting to violence against children as it is an irreversible procedure to which children cannot consent. FGM/C infringes the right of the child to bodily integrity and to be safe from harm. During and immediately after cutting, girls may experience severe pain, hemorrhaging, shock, vaginal infections, cysts, urine retention, damage to adjoining organs, and in extreme cases, death^[5]. While the risks are greater for more severe forms of the procedure, all types of FGM/C, including medicalised FGM/C, can have immediate and life-long health consequences. Long-term complications can include sexual problems such as pain during intercourse and decreased satisfaction, and psychological trauma.

UNFPA data shows that as a result of COVID-19, an additional 13 million child marriages and two million cases of female genital mutilation or cutting will need to be averted to meet Agenda 2030, though this figure does not take into account potential survivors from most Asian countries. All of the countries in the region are signatories to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which then obligates states to act in the best interest of the child in enabling the protection, promotion and fulfilments of the political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of the child. Yet, across Asia there has been little to no progress on eliminating FGM/C. We call on States to:

• Support community-based programming that aim to dismantle patriarchal biases and empower adolescent girls
• Create a more enabling environment for adolescents and young people to access quality and non judgemental comprehensive sexuality education
• Commit to providing country-level data in relation to Sustainable Development Goal indicator 5.3.2 and take concrete steps to implement the recommendations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child which relate to prevention of FGM/C
• Enact legislation to prohibit all forms of FGM/C, sending a clear message that the practice is a violation of girls’ rights
• Recognise that girls and women play a critical role in COVID-19 crisis management and mitigation and include them equally and meaningfully in the designing, implementation, financing and monitoring of emergency response for female genital mutilation or cutting at local, national, regional and international levels
• Support community-led data collection, monitoring and reporting on the impact of COVID-19 on female genital mutilation or cutting to inform real-time crisis response and recovery efforts.

^[1] ARROW. The Status of Adolescents’ SRHR in Asia and the Pacific Region. https://arrow.org.my/publication/icpd25-the-status-of-adolescents-srhr-in-asia-and-the-pacific-region/

^[2] UNFPA. Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Family Planning and Ending Gender-based Violence, Female Genital Mutilation and Child Marriage. https://www.unfpa.org/resources/impact-covid-19-pandemic-family-planning-and-ending-gender-based-violence-female-genital

^[3] Orchid Project. Female Genital Cutting Fact Sheet. https://www.orchidproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/FGMC-2021-Fact-Sheet-FINAL.pdf

^[4] ARROW. Asia Network to End Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) Consultation Report. https://arrow.org.my/publication/asia-network-to-end-female-genital-mutilation-cutting-fgm-c-consultation-report/

^[5] WHO. Female genital mutilation. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/female-genital-mutilation

This statement is endorsed by:

1. Love Matters India 
2. WeSpeakOut
3. Wreetu Health and Well-being Foundation
4. Sahiyo 
5. Hope for Women, Maldives
6. Phyu Nwe Win (Colorful Girls, Myanmar)
7. Democratic Socialist Women of the Philippines (DSWP)
8. Kalyanamitra, Indonesia
9. Equality Now