Help us to end female genital mutilation (FGM/C)

To mark the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (6^th of  February), we hosted a webinar (with 400 registrants from around the world) in partnership with IFMSA (the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations) and FIGO. The event brought together global professional bodies, activists, experts by experience, youth health leaders, and representatives from international health institutions to examine the responsibilities and opportunities of the health sector in accelerating the abandonment of FGM.

Health professionals have a critical role to play in preventing FGM, providing ethical and survivor-centred care, ensuring accountability, and addressing the growing issue of the medicalisation of FGM. The discussion was expertly moderated by Dr Aparna Sridhar, Clinical Professor at UCLA and FIGO Division Director for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Wellbeing, alongside Anush Aghabalyan, Head of Advocacy and Policy at Orchid Project. The webinar was very well attended. A recording is available on our  Youtube channel.

Also in recognition of Zero Tolerance Day, we launched our new short film, available here. The production of this film was made possible through a grant from Media Trust and the Crucible Foundation, and we are deeply grateful to everyone involved in bringing it to life. We encourage you to watch and share the film to help raise awareness on FGM/C.

The film was launched in collaboration with our corporate partner, Here We Flo, through a highly successful event featuring two panel discussions on FGM/C and sexual health. The evening brought together a vibrant mix of experts, activists, and survivors, creating a powerful moment of collective engagement around the campaign. 

Across the panel discussions, powerful contributions from speakers reinforced the importance of destigmatising shame around women’s health, particularly through the language we use. They shared thought on how FGM shapes a woman’s relationship with her body and with healthcare long after the act has taken place, highlighting how FGM/C too often falls through the cracks of sexual and reproductive health services.

We are deeply grateful to our speakers for their insight, honesty and leadership. The dialogue that followed - particularly during the Q&A - sparked important conversations that we hope will continue to grow and drive change. The importance of education, open dialogue and shared learning was evident throughout.

In March, three members of our team travelled to New York to attend the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). As part of The Girl Generation: Africa-Led Movement to End FGM/C consortium, they delivered two events over the course of the convening. Their focus was to ensure that ending FGM/C remains firmly on the global agenda, while amplifying the voices of women and girls to influence international and regional policy, funding, and action.

During CSW, we also attended a ministerial session on violence against women and girls. Listening to government statements one after another was incredibly powerful. The reality remains stark: violence against women and girls continues to be widespread, often hidden in plain sight, and embedded across societies - including those considered the most progressive.

One statement from a government speaker resonated strongly: “Silence cannot be an option, and indifference can no longer be tolerated.” These words capture the urgency of this moment. The safety, dignity and futures of women and girls depend on the actions taken today.

 We are now preparing for two events at this year’s Women Deliver Conference in Melbourne, Australia. Women Deliver convenings bring together global stakeholders to catalyse dialogue, address challenges, and identify opportunities to advance gender equality, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and the wellbeing of girls and women in all their diversity.

Our first session, part of a pre-conference on FGM/C, is expected to bring together 100–120 participants from across regions and is designed to firmly position ending FGM/C at the centre of the global gender equality agenda. Our second event will focus on addressing the global research gap on FGM/C. This gap is particularly acute in the Middle East and Asia, which together account for approximately 40% of the global prevalence. Without accurate and up-to-date data, governments, international organisations, donors, and grassroots actors are unable to respond effectively.

 As we look ahead to the coming months, we remain firmly committed to strengthening the global movement to end FGM/C. This means continuing to amplify evidence, elevate youth leadership, support communities, and ensure that FGM/C is recognised both as a violation of human rights and as an urgent public health concern.

None of the progress outlined in this report would have been possible without your continued support. Your partnership enables us to drive change in global forums, bring critical research into policy discussions, and support the young leaders and grassroots organisations leading change within their communities.

From all of us at Orchid Project, thank you for standing alongside us in this vital work. Together, we can build a future where no girl is subjected to FGM/C.

Since July, we have worked hard across all our areas of focus to accelerate progress toward a world free from female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). Thanks to your continued generosity, Orchid Project has been able to amplify its impact at both global and community levels, forging new partnerships, generating pioneering evidence, elevating youth voices, and ensuring that FGM/C remains a visible and urgent priority across health, human rights, and development spaces. This report brings together our key achievements and ongoing initiatives from the past five months. We are immensely grateful for your steadfast support, which makes every milestone possible. From the entire Orchid Project team: thank you. We hope you enjoy reading about the work you have helped bring to life.

Advocacy Work

World Health Summit – First Ever FGM/C-Dedicated Session:
In October, Orchid Project co-hosted a historic session at the World Health Summit - the first event at this major global health convening dedicated entirely to FGM/C. Moderated by our Head of Advocacy and Policy, Anush, the session opened with a powerful framing of FGM/C as both human rights violation and a significant public health crisis, one that continues to cause severe lifelong harms for millions of girls and women worldwide. This milestone event brought together health institutions, survivor leaders, medical associations, and long-standing movement actors, including FIGO and the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations. Their participation marked an essential step in embedding FGM/C prevention into medical education, clinical practice, and global health policy. For years, FGM/C has been largely absent from key health platforms, and this session signalled a growing recognition that addressing the practice requires integrated approaches across both health and justice systems. We are proud to have secured such meaningful visibility for FGM/C on this global stage.
FIGO (International Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecology) World Congress – Launching Regional Evidence on Medicalisation

Also in October, Orchid Project took the issue of FGM/C medicalisation to the global arena through our participation in the FIGO World Congress in Cape Town. Together with ARROW, Equality Now, the Asia Network to End FGM/C and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, we launched a new regional evidence brief examining the rise of medicalised FGM/C in South and Southeast Asia. This hybrid event also unveiled a Joint Statement Against the Medicalisation of FGM/C, endorsed by major global organisations including WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, FIGO and ICM (International Confederation of Midwives). The evidence presented made clear that medicalisation does not reduce harm; in some countries, it has led to more severe forms of cutting. With more girls being subjected to FGM/C by healthcare providers - often without oversight or accountability - this session underscored the urgent need for ethical leadership, legal reform and collective action. Bringing this evidence to FIGO ensured that thousands of medical practitioners and policymakers were exposed to the realities of medicalisation and the critical changes needed to protect girls.

Knowledge Sharing in the Horn of Africa

In early October, Orchid Project joined Belt of Somali Women, Silver Lining Kenya and the Somaliland Family Health Association (SOFHA) in facilitating an interactive knowledge-sharing dialogue focused on integrating FGM/C prevention, care and support into healthcare services within the Horn of Africa. Unlike a traditional webinar, the event was structured as a live, bilingual conversation in Somali and English, offering a safe space for practitioners, survivors and diaspora communities to share insights, experiences and recommendations. SOFHA shared powerful stories from their work to embed FGM/C services into clinic operations, while survivors emphasised the importance of culturally grounded and trauma-informed approaches. Feedback from the session has informed a detailed meeting summary, outlining practical pathways to strengthen healthcare integration across the region.

Movement Building and Youth Leadership

Youth voices have been a central focus of our work throughout the last five months. As part of the Africa Led Movement to End FGM/C (ALM), Orchid Project supported the co-creation and launch of a Youth Advocacy Toolkit developed by young activists who participated in a series of capacity development workshops. The toolkit identifies six essential advocacy priorities, ranging from expanding meaningful youth engagement to strengthening research, legislation, and mental health support for survivors. In August, we hosted a public webinar with The Girl Generation-ALM to unpack the toolkit, providing young advocates with a platform to share their experiences, successes and challenges.
Alongside this, we launched a new three-part vlog series featuring inspirational young people involved in ALM. Filmed in collaboration with our partners, the series showcases their journeys, the advocacy skills they have gained, and how they are incorporating the Youth Advocacy Toolkit into their community work. The vlogs, published on our YouTube channel, mark an important expansion of our digital engagement and highlight the leadership of youth across the movement.
Research

Asia: Breaking the Silence:
In collaboration with ARROW, Kalyanamitra and Sisters in Islam, Orchid Project published three major research reports examining FGM/C in Indonesia and Malaysia. These publications offer a deep analysis of prevalence patterns, drivers of the practice and the broader legal and policy contexts in Southeast Asia. They highlight the urgent yet often overlooked reality that Asia accounts for at least 35% of the global burden of FGM/C - an estimated 80 million women and girls. These findings are already strengthening the evidence base for advocacy in the region, guiding policymakers, human rights organisations and international supporters of change.

Medicalisation in South and Southeast Asia:
Alongside the broader research outputs, we launched a dedicated policy brief addressing the escalating trend of medicalised FGM/C. Developed with ARROW, Equality Now and the Asia Network to End FGM/C, this brief synthesises data from multiple countries and underscores that the involvement of healthcare professionals does not make the practice safer. Through this publication we continue to emphasise the need for urgent regulatory oversight, public awareness and stronger government action across the region.

Horn of Africa and Ongoing Regional Work:
Building from the extensive regional dialogues we facilitated earlier this year, we continue to support practitioners, researchers and community leaders in the Horn of Africa. Our October knowledge-sharing session forms part of this ongoing programme of engagement. Work is also progressing on regional initiatives in West Africa, where, drawing on the success of our Horn of Africa approach, we are preparing for a new series of dialogues across Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and The Gambia. These consultations will lead to a new suite of reports that mirror our earlier outputs, strengthening local evidence and supporting context-specific advocacy.

Communications and Storytelling

This period also marked continued momentum in our partnership with The Story of Woman. Together with Anna Stoecklein, we co-authored a blog for Citizen Digital reflecting on the importance of storytelling in shaping public awareness and policy action, especially as the East Africa Community Female Genital Mutilation Bill 2025 gains traction. Elevating survivor narratives and community experiences remains central to ensuring that FGM/C stays at the forefront of public consciousness. This co-authored piece reached new audiences and further solidified our commitment to using compelling, human-centred storytelling as a tool for policy change.

This long-standing collaboration with The Story of Woman continues to bear fruit. The three-part mini-series podcast we co-created earlier in the year was recognised this autumn with the People’s Lovie Award for Best Branded Podcast - a celebration of the best in European digital creativity. This underscores the importance of amplifying the voices of communities, survivors and activists across different platforms, reaching audiences who may not previously have been aware of the realities of FGM/C. We are honoured that this collaboration has been recognised and remains a powerful tool for public engagement.

As we look toward the coming months, we remain deeply committed to strengthening the global movement to end FGM/C by amplifying evidence, elevating youth leadership, supporting communities and ensuring that FGM/C is understood as both a violation of human rights and a pressing public health emergency. None of the progress outlined in this report would be possible without your unwavering support. Your partnership enables us to keep pushing for change in global forums, to bring research to the forefront of policy conversations and to support young leaders and grassroots organisations who are driving transformation within their own communities.

From all of us at Orchid Project, thank you for standing with us as we continue this vital work. Together, we can create a future where no girl experiences FGM/C.

Links:

• Integrating FGM/C in Healthcare services in the Horn of Africa
• Research reports examining FGM/C in Indonesia and Malaysia
• Medicalisation of FGM/C in Asia