According to the text, around 4.3 million girls were at risk of female genital mutilation in 2023.

The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) warned on Friday that female genital mutilation (FGM) continues around the world, partly due to the practice of crossing national borders and beyond to subject girls to the procedure.

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In a new report, the entity indicated that although many States have intensified their efforts to eradicate this scourge, they are undermined by “the clandestine nature of cross-border and transnational female genital mutilation”.

According to the text, around 4.3 million girls were at risk of female genital mutilation in 2023.

He also explained the so-called “vacation cut”, which occurs when families, particularly in Europe and North America, take their daughters to their countries and communities of origin to undergo this practice during school holidays.

He also denounced that in some cases it is the “cutters” who cross borders to perform the injurious procedure.

The global fight against female genital mutilation is undermined by the practice of crossing borders to have girls undergo #FGM. Resources & coop. agreements between States needed to prevent cross-border & transnational FGM – @volker_turk on @UNHumanRights report

— UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) June 14, 2024

She added that “young girls and women living in border communities are particularly vulnerable” as these areas often “host communities with cultural and ethnic ties that transcend national borders”.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said that “female genital mutilation is part of a continuum of gender-based violence and has no place in a universe that respects human rights”.

In that sense, he called for “eliminating in all its forms and uprooting gender stereotypes and patriarchal norms that anchor and perpetuate it”.

The senior official called on States to “ensure a comprehensive joint approach that addresses the root causes and consequences of female genital mutilation, including by harmonizing their legal and political frameworks and ensuring their implementation».

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