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female genital mutilationlatest news & developments
Powerful presence: Fatoumata Diawara performing at the CTIJF 2026. Photo: Armand Hough

Fatoumata Diawara channels ancestry and activism in Cape Town

Blending Malian heritage with high-energy pop, Fatoumata Diawara used the CTIJF stage to honour her roots and confront FGM, proving that heritage and modern activism are…

Young people understand social media dynamics, peer-to-peer communication and community mobilisation in ways that can be used improve health services. Photo: Bulungula Incubator

In the time of aid cuts, decentralise women’s health funding

Women and young people don’t need foreign experts to tell them what their communities need; they need resources and support to implement locally developed and relevant solutions

At least 66% of recent cases were performed by healthcare professionals, in an attempt to legitimise the practice. (David Harrison)

Report finds female genital mutilation more prevalent than previously thought

At least 66% of recent cases were performed by healthcare professionals, in an attempt to legitimise the practice

Razor blades are often used to perform FGM. Photo by James Akena Reuters

Egypt clinic helps women reclaim bodies scarred by genital mutilation

Plasma injections allow for the regeneration of damaged tissue without subjecting women to new, invasive procedures

Tanzania’s first female doctor sees big strides

Esther Mwaikambo will be a role model to young female doctors, as she begins writing books on child health and women’s roles in medicine

Jane Kubai ran away from home to avoid FGM. She then worked day and night to obtain a qualification. Now, her father advises other families against child marriage

Meet a Kenyan heroine of health: ‘I want to be an ambassador for the voiceless’

Jane Kubai ran away from home to avoid FGM. She then worked day and night to obtain a qualification. Now, her father advises other families against child marriage

As well as physical violence, domestic abuse can take many different shapes and forms — sexual, emotional, economic or psychological actions or threats of actions — most of which often end up escalating to serious physical aggression, according to experts. (Oupa Nkosi)

Facts and figures: Global domestic violence numbers

“Every day, on average, 137 women are killed by a member of their own family,” said Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Under-Secretary-General and UN Women Executive Director, in a…

Yahya Jammeh peddled fake HIV ‘cures’ complete with alleged human rights abuses. But he also banned female genital cutting, which can put women at risk of dangerous and lifelong complications.(Marco Longari, AFP, Getty Images)
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A dictator’s unexpected legacy

Having banned female genital cutting, his ousting may have been good for democracy but bad for women’s bodies.

Maasai girls participate in a newly conceived rite of passage to mark their ascent into womanhood, one that will hopefully keep them safe from the deadly consequences of traditional practices. (Jonathan Torgovnik, Hewlett Foundation, Getty Images)
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When police crashed her wedding, she was 8. Her soon-to-be husband was 67.

Across the continent, women are helping to reimagine a sacred rite of passage in an effort to honour their cultures and spare their bodies.

Young Maasai girls leave their village near Narok to go to school. Campaigners say addressing poverty and gender-based violence in the area is vital. (Tony Karumba, AFP)
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Schoolgirls in this country face compulsory tests for pregnancy, genital mutilation

Girls in Kenya’s Narok County will also be made to reveal the identities of babies’ fathers.

​Uncut, unwed and cast out, but a better life awaited

In rural Kenya, a group of strong-willed women is giving traumatised young runaways a second chance at life.

Razor blades are often used to perform FGM. Photo by James Akena Reuters

Flame on an open wound: female genital mutilation in Somaliland

Female genital mutilation is still practiced in Somaliland. But women’s coalitions are working to change this.

Ghana’s formidable ‘queen mothers’ rise up

Women chiefs are playing an increasingly important role in the country’s development, advocating for women’s and children’s rights.

Art takes the cake

Art takes the cake

An African rights body has called on a Swedish minister to resign over her role in an art event that highlighted female genital mutilation and racism.

Circumcisions haunt Kenya’s Maasai females

Some of the Kenya’s Maasai young women are running away from of the age-old custom of circumcision, now frayed by health risks and new laws.

Afghanistan is most dangerous country for women

Violence, dismal healthcare and brutal poverty make Afghanistan the world’s most dangerous country for women.

Female genital mutilation practice still common in Egypt

Abdul Rahman is trying to change 2 000 years of tradition to end the practice of female genital mutilation in Egypt.

Female genital mutilation banned in Uganda

Female genital mutilation has been banned by leaders of the only Ugandan tribe that carries out the practice.