International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation

International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation

International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) seeks to raise awareness and advocation for the cessation of this harmful practice, affecting women and girls worldwide. The day provides an avenue to educate people about the dangers of female genital mutilation, highlighting its immediate and long-term physical, psychological, and socio-economic impacts. Significant strides are taken globally to ensure this practice is eradicated, detailing how FGM violates human rights, specifically the rights of women and girls.

In South Africa, although the practice isn't widespread, there is evidence of its occurrence within certain cultural and religious groups. The commemoration of International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation in South Africa seeks to address this issue by amplifying awareness and discourse about the harmful consequences of this practice. This remembrance has roots in a resolution by the UN General Assembly in 2007 that called for a global effort to eliminate female genital mutilation. In response, South Africa, along with all African Union countries, signed the 'Saleema Initiative' in 2008 to protect girls from this harmful tradition.

On the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation, South Africa rallies together with other nations to stand against this practice. Various activities including educational workshops, public discussions, and awareness campaigns are held. These events are often spearheaded by various human rights and health organizations, stressing the importance of enforcing existing laws against FGM, advocating for stricter penalties against violators and calling on community elders and religious leaders to renounce the practice. International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation is observed each year on 6th February.

Top 8 Facts for 2026 International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation in South Africa

• The upcoming observance of the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation on February 6, 2026, is centered on the official theme Towards 2030: No end to female genital mutilation without sustained commitment and investment, which emphasizes that the global goal of eradication by 2030 requires intensified financial and political support.
• While often perceived as a practice foreign to South Africa, research indicates that various forms of the procedure are still practiced locally among some Venda, Southern Ndebele, and Indian communities, as well as certain Sotho populations in areas like Matatiele.
• South African law provides robust protection against this practice through the Children’s Act, which explicitly prohibits the genital mutilation of female children, and the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act, which outlaws any cultural practice that discriminates based on gender.
• Globally, an estimated 4 million girls are projected to be at risk of undergoing the procedure in 2026 alone, highlighting a critical window for intervention as the international community enters the final five years of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
• Experts highlight that for every dollar invested in ending the practice, there is a ten-fold return in economic benefits due to improved health outcomes and the increased educational and economic participation of women and girls.
• In the South African context, the practice is increasingly recognized as a form of gender-based violence, a category of crime that the government has recently intensified efforts to combat under the national Emergency Response Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide.
• The 2026 observance also highlights the "medicalization" of the practice, a concerning trend where health professionals perform the procedure under the false belief that it is safer, despite it having no medical benefits and violating fundamental human rights.
• Activists in South Africa play a leading role in the regional movement, using the country's influential media landscape to amplify the voices of survivors and to challenge the patriarchal norms that often underpin the continuation of this practice across the continent.

In the News and Trending in South Africa for International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation

Top things to do in South Africa for this observance

• Traditional values and practices can be harmful especially if those practices carry unnecessary risk. It is believed that older generations are more likely to carry on such traditions despite scientific evidence against them. According to the U.N, adolescent girls aged 15-19 are less supportive of female genital mutilation than women aged 45-49. The U.N recommends investing in youth-led movements to help achieve gender equality and to eliminate violence against women and girls. Learn how you can become involved in their latest campaign Generation Equality.
• Learn more about the health risks of female genital mutilation and how you can help prevent the practice of it.
• Read a book to learn more about FGM:
  Listening to African Voices: Female Circumcision and the Politics of Cultural Survival - by Ellen Gruenbaum
  A Woman's Odyssey Into Africa: Tracks Across a Life - by Harriet Gordon Mandel
• Attend or organizing awareness seminars or workshops: As part of the efforts to educate the public about female genital mutilation, lectures and workshops are commonly held throughout the country.