Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a procedure involving the partial or total alteration or injury to the external female genitalia for no medical reason. Recognized globally as a severe human rights violation, the practice remains deeply embedded in the social fabric of several nations. Somalia stands out with one of the world’s highest prevalence rates, where the practice is widespread and often takes its most damaging physical forms. The persistence of FGM is sustained by deeply entrenched social norms and cultural expectations. This results in immediate trauma and a lifetime of physical and psychological complications for nearly all Somali women and girls.
Prevalence and Specific Types Practiced
The scale of Female Genital Mutilation in Somalia is nearly universal. Data from the Somali Health and Demographic Survey indicates that approximately 99% of women and girls aged 15 to 49 have undergone some form of the procedure. The types of FGM practiced are especially severe, contributing significantly to the health burden.
The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies FGM into four types, and in Somalia, Type III is overwhelmingly common. Type III, known as infibulation, involves the narrowing of the vaginal opening through the cutting and repositioning of the labia, often with the removal of the clitoris, followed by stitching to create a covering seal. A 2020 survey indicated that 64% of women reported having undergone this most extreme form of FGM.
While there has been a slight reported shift toward less severe types among younger cohorts, the overall prevalence remains virtually unchanged. The majority of girls are subjected to the procedure between the ages of five and nine. The procedure is typically performed by traditional circumcisers using non-sterile instruments.
Social and Cultural Drivers of Persistence
The continuation of FGM in Somalia is driven less by religious mandate and more by powerful, deeply rooted social and cultural expectations. The practice is often considered a prerequisite for social acceptance and is strongly linked to a girl’s marriageability within her community. Families fear that if their daughter is not cut, she will be discriminated against and viewed as unsuitable for marriage. This fear leads to significant social ostracization.
FGM is erroneously associated with ensuring a girl’s purity, modesty, and premarital virginity. The practice is widely believed to suppress a woman’s sexual desire, which is culturally perceived as necessary to safeguard her chastity and maintain fidelity. This belief reinforces patriarchal control over female sexuality, placing the burden of a family’s honor squarely on the body of the girl.
Maintaining cultural tradition, referred to by some as Afgartii Hore (the old way), is another significant factor perpetuating the practice across generations. The majority of the community, including influential elders and religious figures, continue to support FGM, sometimes wrongly justifying it as a religious necessity. This collective enforcement means that even mothers who experienced complications often feel compelled to subject their own daughters to FGM. This is done to conform to societal norms and protect their social standing.
Health and Psychosocial Impact
The physical and mental health consequences of FGM, particularly the highly prevalent Type III infibulation, are extensive and often permanent. Immediately following the procedure, girls commonly suffer from acute complications. These include severe pain, hemorrhage leading to shock, and life-threatening infections from unhygienic tools and environments. Urinary retention is also a frequent short-term complication, as is the emotional trauma of the violent and painful experience.
The long-term physical effects are debilitating and can persist throughout a woman’s life, affecting her reproductive health and general well-being. Chronic conditions include recurrent urinary tract infections, chronic pelvic infections, and menstrual complications due to obstructed flow. The scarring and narrowing of the vaginal opening from infibulation can lead to difficulties with sexual intercourse. Painful de-infibulation procedures must often be performed before marriage or childbirth.
Obstetric complications are especially pronounced, contributing to Somalia’s high maternal mortality rate. Women who have undergone FGM are at a higher risk of prolonged and obstructed labor, postpartum hemorrhage, and obstetric fistula. For the infant, this trauma increases the likelihood of stillbirth and early neonatal death. The psychosocial impact includes anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and a loss of trust in caregivers.
Legal Status and Intervention Efforts
Despite the profound impact on women’s health, Somalia currently lacks a comprehensive, unified national law specifically criminalizing all forms of FGM. The Provisional Constitution of 2012 prohibits the circumcision of girls, classifying it as a cruel and degrading customary practice. However, the absence of federal legislation to enforce this constitutional provision has created a significant legal vacuum, allowing the practice to continue. The legal landscape is fragmented, with progress primarily seen at the state level.
In 2024, the Federal Member State of Galmudug made history by passing the first law in Somalia to fully prohibit and criminalize all types of FGM. Jubaland followed suit in 2025, passing its own anti-FGM law after extensive community consultation and advocacy.
Intervention efforts are largely driven by local and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), focusing on changing social norms from the grassroots up. These programs engage religious leaders, community elders, and men to shift the belief that FGM is a religious requirement or a necessary part of tradition. Strategies include community dialogues, public awareness campaigns, and the promotion of the ‘Declaration of Abandonment’ model, where whole communities collectively agree to stop the practice.