Last week, gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) was declared a national disaster in South Africa. Now, human and gender rights activists say it’s time to tackle female genital mutilation (FGM). UNFPA's Tapiwa Nyasulu says that even though FGM prevalence is relatively low in South Africa, the country, particularly its media, still plays a crucial role in the continental movement to end FGM.
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Nyasulu, the regional advisor on gender and human rights at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for East and Southern Africa, was speaking while briefing journalists at the One&Only in Cape Town recently.
Millions of girls at risk
FGM remains one of East and Southern Africa’s most persistent human-rights challenges, with millions of girls still at risk.
Reports suggest that FGM does occur in some South African communities, including among members of the Venda, Southern Ndebele, and Sotho populations, as well as immigrant and refugee groups.
“South Africa might not be ground zero for FGM, but our voices matter,” Nyasulu said.
She urged the country’s media and civil society to help raise awareness for FGM as a regional issue, amplify survivor voices, and support evidence-based reporting that challenges harmful norms and drives public understanding.
Across East and Southern African countries, among them Comoros, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, with prevalence levels differing sharply between communities.
Unicef reports that nearly one million girls each year are still cut in the region.
Without accelerating action, FGM is projected to remain widespread in some countries beyond 2030.
New data from the UNFPA-Unicef Joint Programme on the Elimination of FGM shows that although progress is being made, the scale of the issue remains vast.
In 2024, more than 304,820 girls were protected from FGM, nearly 1.4 million women and girls took part in community dialogues, mass-media campaigns reached 250 million people, and close to seven million girls and women accessed prevention, protection or care services.
The figures highlight both the progress achieved and the urgency of expanding these efforts.
Programmes in Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Tanzania, supported in part by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, have strengthened community mobilisation, digital advocacy, and behaviour-change communication aimed at shifting social norms and expanding local action.
Nyasulu noted that donor-backed initiatives remain critical to sustaining long-term progress and supporting grassroots organisations that work directly with girls, parents, and traditional and religious leaders.
Violation of bodily autonomy
Nyasulu emphasised that FGM is not only a gender-based violence issue, but a serious and preventable health risk.
Survivors face a lifetime of complications, including traumatic childbirth, excessive bleeding, infections, long-term reproductive health problems and severe psychological trauma.
“FGM is a violation of girls’ bodily autonomy with lifelong consequences,” she said.
“Ending it is central to improving maternal health outcomes and advancing gender equality across the region.”
She called on South Africans, particularly journalists, storytellers and advocates, to help bring the realities of FGM into public view.
“Awareness drives action.
“By reporting accurately, challenging stigma and giving space to the experiences of girls, South Africa’s media can help strengthen a continental movement that protects the next generation.”
Nyasulu added that ending FGM is entirely achievable within a generation but requires continued solidarity, investment and sustained pressure to support community-led change.
