No girl should endure FGM

At least 200 million girls and women alive today living in 31 countries have undergone FGM according to UNICEF data from February 2020 - but the total number is unknown.

Most known instances of female genital mutilation happen in the Western, Eastern, and North-Eastern regions of Africa, and in some countries in the Middle East and Asia. There have also been cases of the children of migrants from these countries being subjected to this practice, sometimes being taken to those countries for the procedures to be carried out.

FGM has been illegal in the UK since 1985 and is considered a form of child abuse. However, it has only been tracked by the NHS since 2015 so it is hard to accurately calculate the number of girls and women who have suffered FGM. According to the statistics released by NHS Digital in July 2020, there were 6,590 women and girls who either had a procedure to treat their FGM or were identified as having undergone FGM previously when treated between April 2019 and March 2020.

As in many European countries, girls whose families originate from a FGM-practicing community are at greater risk of FGM happening to them, particularly during the summer holidays when they may be taken abroad for the procedure. Penalties for anyone in the UK who performs FGM include up to 14 years in prison, and anyone found guilty of failing to protect a girl from FGM can face up to 7 years in prison.

You can read the UK Government's statement opposing FGM here.

Girls across the world face threats including child marriage, female genital mutilation and sexual violence. UNICEF estimates that an adolescent girl dies every 10 minutes as a direct result of violence.

Violence can take many forms; domestic abuse, trafficking, rape, or harmful practices such as early marriage and female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C).

Violence against girls crosses culture, ethnicity and economic status. We know that violence does not begin with a conflict or an emergency, but any existing levels of violence against women and girls do increase during these times.

Violence against girls and women has its roots in gender inequality and discrimination - and negative norms or practices that result from these.

We help families to provide for themselves so that they don't feel the need to marry their daughters at a young age or send them out to work.

We fund the education of girls and help them reach their career goals. Many sponsored girls go on to become teachers, nurses and business owners.

We challenge social norms and harmful practices, working with faith leaders and communities to acknowledge and act upon gender injustices and negative practices.

We engage men and boys to make sure they recognise and act upon their obligation to prevent and end violence against girls and women.

We provide training for children on their rights, how to better protect themselves, challenging existing gender imbalances and actively engaging with the wider community.

We protect girls in emergencies, creating Child-Friendly Spaces where girls and boys are protected from the risk of violence, have space to play and continue with their education.

We also work in refugee camps to promote gender equality and reduce the occurrence of violence.

We provide medical, legal and psychological support as well as life skills, vocational training and other support for girls affected by violence, including former girl soldiers.

You can easily sign up to sponsor a girl online or by calling our Supporter Care Team on 01908 84 10 10.

World Vision has had a Child Sponsorship programme for more than 70 years, we pair donors with a vulnerable child who needs protection and empowerment.

Child Sponsorship brings much-needed change to more than just one child — the benefits you help provide extends to each child's family, their community and other children in need. 

This is because World Vision partners, plans and works alongside local community members to help build healthy, sustainable communities for vulnerable children in the world’s hardest places. Learn more about how Child Sponsorship works.

All of World Vision's work begins with listening to communities in need. Community leaders work with us to identify the most vulnerable children and families who will benefit from Child Sponsorship.

We work with national governments and other international agencies to identify the regions and communities that are most in need and where the most vulnerable children live. We then meet with community leaders and the wider community to gain a greater understanding of the challenges and the opportunities that exist for them and we develop a long-term plan together, to break the cycle of poverty. Find out more about how Sponsorship helps communities and how Child Sponsorship works.