Egypt’s efforts in the field of female genital mutilation (FMG) and means of spreading awareness about the importance of halting such harmful practice topped the agenda of a meeting in Cairo on Friday.
The meeting brought together Chairperson of the National Council for Women (NCW) Maya Morsi and a Gambian delegation, currently visiting Egypt.
Morsi reviewed the Egyptian government’s efforts to confront FMG from 2000 until 2024 through raising social awareness and enacting laws to confront this crime.
She noted that FMG rate among girls aging 0-19 years old went down by 14 per cent in 2021 against 21 per cent in 2014 in light of a survey conducted by the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS).
Morsi said that the number of those who were expected to undergo FMG decreased to 27 per cent in 2021 against 56 per cent in 2014 and this is a great achievement in this domain.
FGM typically involves the partial or total removal of the external genitalia and can cause long-lasting mental and physical health problems including chronic infections, infertility and childbirth complications.