Egypt

FGM remains prevalent in Egypt. While there is evidence of a decline among girls aged 15-
CONTEXT 19 (from 98 per cent in 1995 to 70 per cent in 2015), a high population growth rate means
that millions of girls remain at risk of FGM each year. The practice is more common
among marginalized girls and women who have high rates of poverty and less education,
and lack information and access to quality services. Alarmingly, FGM in Egypt has become
increasingly medicalized; medical professionals are involved in 6 in 10 cases of girls who
have undergone FGM. The reasons for increasing FGM medicalization are many, including
an initial focus on the immediate medical harms of FGM without challenging core reasons

87+13+R
for the continuation of the practice.

of girls and women

87% aged 15-49 years
have undergone
Enabling environment for the elimination of FGM

FGM
✓ Legislation criminalizing FGM

70+30+R
✗ Costed national action plan

✗ National budget line for FGM

70%
of girls aged
15-19 years have
undergone FGM
✓ National coordination mechanism

38+62+R
Since 2018, law enforcement has resulted in:

of girls and
38% women think
FGM should stop
0 arrests

0 cases brought to court

3 out of 4 girls
experience FGM

by age 11 0 convictions and sanctions

OUTCOME 1 OUTCOME 2 OUTCOME 3 OUTCOME 4
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS

Overall performance on outcome Have an enabling Girls and women are Girls and women Have better capacity
environment for the empowered to exercise receive appropriate, to generate and use
indicators in Phase III elimination of FGM and express their rights quality and systemic evidence and data
practices at all levels by transforming social services for FGM for policymaking and
 elow
B  0%–
7  bove
A
and in line with human and gender norms prevention, protection improving programming
70% 100% 100%
rights standards in communities to and care
eliminate FGM

Source: Egypt DHS 2015, UNFPA estimates for 2018 based on Egypt DHS 2015, Data-for-All, UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation:
Accelerating Change.

UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation: Accelerating Change • 2021 Annual Report
Egypt

Adaptive community Number of communities that have made a public declaration of

engagement abandonment of FGM in Egypt
In 2021, the Joint Programme
Planned Achieved Achieved cumulative
continued to support long-term
interventions to engage with 300 276
community members, including
religious and community leaders, to 250

challenge social norms related to 200

186
160 158
FGM. It trained 1,357 Muslim and 150
Christian religious leaders together
90
with faith-based organizations on 100
60
the negative impacts of FGM and 50 31 31 26
misconceptions around religious -
4 2

requirements for FGM. 2018 2019 2020 2021

Following an innovative capacity- Number of interactions on social media activities related to FGM that are
building programme during initiated with the support of the Joint Programme
COVID-19, the Joint Programme
promoted community dialogues
Planned Achieved Achieved cumulative
where men and women from older
generations build mutual trust with 3,500,000 3,150,114
younger generations to challenge
3,000,000
harmful practices such as FGM.
Through intergenerational dialogues, 2,500,000

education and social mobilization 2,000,000 1,819,356

sessions, 3.2 million people were 1,500,000
1,330,758
reached in 2021. Moreover, 450,000 1,000,000 1,100,000
people were engaged in public 1,000,000
230,758
declarations to abandon FGM, 500,000
130,000 215,000 215,758 215,000
15,000
bringing the cumulative number for -
Phase III in Egypt to 1.4 million. 2018 2019 2020 2021

Tackling FGM medicalization Number of health service delivery points in Joint Programme intervention
The Joint Programme supported
areas where at least one health-care staff member is trained on FGM
collaboration between medical
prevention, protection and care services in Egypt
and religious institutions to raise
awareness on FGM medicalization Planned Achieved Achieved cumulative

for both medical professionals and 917

1,000
religious leaders. As a result, 2,482
health providers received training 800
on FGM treatment and built skills to 600 488
prevent FGM in hospitals. In Phase 429

III, 922 health service delivery points 400 271 240

158
in Joint Programme intervention 200 120 120 114 90
44
areas had at least one health-care
-
staff member trained on FGM 2018 2019 2020 2021
prevention, protection and care
services.

UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation: Accelerating Change • 2021 Annual Report