This report presents research findings on the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on female genital cutting (FGC). Since the start of the pandemic, reports highlighted the ‘gendered impact’ of the COVID-19 crisis on women and girls, but at a global policy level little was known about the influence of the pandemic on the practice of FGC.. .The briefing describes data collected in 2020 from interviews and surveys, conducted with 38 grassroots activists and organisations across 14 countries in East and West Africa and Asia-Pacific, working to prevent and protect girls from FGC. One of the findings were increased rates of FGC reported across East and West Africa, due to the COVID-19 related lockdowns. The report concludes with some recommendations, like the increase of funding and support towards grassroots and women-led organisations and activists and mainstream of FGC interventions into humanitarian programming.
This report highlights the need for data collection to assess the prevalence of the practice of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in Asia. Besides data on prevalence and the types of FGM/C that .are practiced in the Asian region, the report provides information on the impact and severity of these practices upon girls and women. Some of the recommendations are to scale up the provision of flexible, accessible and sustainable funding, capacity-building and networking support for community-based organisations and activists (for donors) and to determine legislation to criminalise all forms of FGM/C (for governments).