Overview

• The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a guideline targeting the rising medicalization of female genital mutilation (FGM), where health workers perform the procedure, affecting 52 million women and girls as of 2020.
• The guideline mandates professional codes of conduct to prohibit health workers from performing FGM and emphasizes their role as prevention advocates within communities.
• WHO highlights that medicalized FGM risks legitimizing the harmful practice and undermines global efforts to eradicate it entirely.
• Recommendations include training health workers, involving men and boys in community education, and improving clinical care for FGM survivors, including mental health, obstetric, and surgical support.
• Countries like Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, and Ethiopia demonstrate progress, with FGM prevalence among 15–19-year-olds reduced by up to 50% over three decades through political commitment and grassroots action.