Further information and links
Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) is recognized internationally as a severe violation of the human rights of girls and women, encompassing rights to health, bodily integrity, dignity, and freedom from torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.
The following list provides key international and regional legal and policy instruments that explicitly condemn and seek to eliminate this harmful practice.
Key links on FGM/C as a human rights violation
Female genital mutilation (FGM) — Fact Sheet (World Health Organization / WHO) — “Female genital mutilation: Key facts & human rights” — explains that FGM “is a violation of the human rights of girls and women”, violates rights to health, security, physical integrity, freedom from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and right to life (when FGM results in death).
Female genital mutilation (FGM) — Overview (WHO Health Topics page) — Summary page describing what FGM is, its global prevalence, bodily and psychological harm, and its status as discrimination and human‑rights violation.
Female genital mutilation — Global work & resources (UNICEF / UNFPA Joint Programme on Elimination of FGM) — Describes FGM as “one of the worst forms of human‑rights violations”, provides fact sheets, programming guidance, and legal‑policy resources to end FGM.
Technical Note: “Developing anti‑FGM laws aligned with human rights” (UNFPA / UNICEF, 2023) — Offers guidance to lawmakers and civil‑society actors on how to frame laws banning FGM in line with international human‑rights standards. Useful if you want to emphasise that FGM is legally criminalisable and must be treated as a crime.
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) — Full Text — This foundational human‑rights treaty obliges States to abolish customs and practices that discriminate against women — a key legal basis to challenge FGM as a discriminatory, gender‑based practice.
Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women (UN General Assembly, 1993) — This Declaration identifies violence against women (including harmful traditional practices) as violation of their rights, dignity and freedoms — giving a clear human‑rights and international legal framework to condemn FGM.
“Understanding and addressing violence against women: Female genital mutilation” (WHO / World Health Organization Information Sheet) — Summarises FGM as gender‑based violence, highlights human‑rights violations, health risks, and need for a holistic abandonment approach.
Recent WHO guideline — “Prevention of female genital mutilation and clinical management of complications” (2025) — Provides evidence‑based recommendations to prevent FGM and to ensure health‑care for survivors, emphasising that FGM is a “severe violation of girls’ rights” and must be stopped by health‑sector and governments alike.
Key legal instruments & treaties
Istanbul Convention — “Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (CETS No. 210)” — Full text of the Convention.
Istanbul Convention — “About the Convention” (official overview page) — describes scope, obligations, and relevance to practices like FGM.
Maputo Protocol — “Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples‘ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa” (English version, Treaty Text PDF) — official text of the Protocol adopted in 2003.
Maputo Protocol — Status & Explanation Page (African Union / AU) — summarises the Protocol’s mission to abolish harmful practices (including FGM) and protect women’s rights.
Maputo Protocol — African Commission version / legal‑resource page — hosting the official version of the Protocol in multiple languages.
Compendium of International and National Legal Frameworks on Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (8th Edition, 2024) — a comprehensive survey of global, regional and national laws and treaties prohibiting FGM/C.
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) — “Implementation of the International and Regional Human Rights Framework for the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation” (2014) — outlines States’ obligations under human‑rights law to end FGM/C and protect girls and women.
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) — core universal human‑rights treaty; its protections (e.g. right to life; freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment) provide legal basis to challenge FGM/C.
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) — among the main global human‑rights instruments. Full text & information accessible via OHCHR.
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) — foundational treaty for women’s rights. The official convention text in multiple languages is available.
Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) — protects children’s rights including right to health, protection from violence and harmful practices; relevant for FGM/C carried out on minors.
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT) — a legal instrument prohibiting torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment; used internationally to argue FGM/C constitutes torture / inhuman treatment.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) — foundational human‑rights declaration setting out universal rights (dignity, bodily integrity, equality) under which FGM/C is implicitly condemned. The declaration text is available through the UN.