This indicator is measured by asking women aged 15 to 49 with at least one daughter aged 0 to 14 if they have any daughters who have undergone FGM.

Data Sources:

Household surveys, specifically the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), which collect data on FGM prevalence through proxy reporting by mothers on the FGM status of their daughters. Data can be disaggregated by mother’s age, region, ethnicity and religion.

Purpose:

The primary purpose of this indicator is to provide a quantitative measure of the prevalence of FGM among young girls in a geographical area. It serves as a critical tool for policymakers, researchers, and activists to understand the extent of FGM, informing targeted interventions, advocacy efforts, and policy formulation aimed at eradicating FGM. When measured over time, this indicator can be used to track changes, which can be further analyzed by education levels, geographic location, religion, and other variables to identify factors associated with change. This information can be used to improve programs aimed at eliminating FGM.

Issues:

This indicator’s measurement relies on women’s willingness to report that their daughters have undergone FGM, which may or may not produce a valid estimate of prevalence. In countries where FGM has been legally banned, women may avoid reporting that their daughters have undergone FGM due to fear of legal ramifications. In areas where there have been campaigns to reduce the practice, women may be reluctant to report having had their daughters undergo FGM due to a perceived stigma associated with the practice. In regions where FGM is widely practiced and socially accepted, and few interventions are in place to prompt people to question its acceptability and legality, women’s responses will tend to be valid. In other regions, responses should be interpreted with caution.

Sensitivity analysis is required to assess the comparability of self-reported data from the mothers and proxy-reported data for the daughters due to potential reporting biases. The mixed status of the age cohort (girls who have undergone FGM and girls who have not but may in the future) complicates the interpretation of prevalence data, necessitating consideration of potential future changes in FGM status. Subgroup analysis using smaller age groups can help monitor change over time.

In every society in which it is practiced, FGM is a manifestation of gender inequality that is deeply entrenched in social, economic, and political structures and represents society’s control over women. Such practices have the effect of perpetuating normative gender roles that are unequal and harm women. Analysis of international health data shows a close link between women’s ability to exercise control over their lives and their belief that FGM should be ended. Where FGM is widely practiced, it is supported by both men and women, usually without question, and anyone departing from the norm may face condemnation, harassment, and ostracism. In many societies, older women who have undergone FGM themselves often become gatekeepers of the practice, seeing it as essential to the identity of women and girls. This may be one reason why women, and more often older women, are more likely to support the practice and tend to see efforts to combat the practice as an attack on their identity and culture. However, some of these actors also play a key role in efforts to eliminate the practice (UNICEF, Innocenti Research Centre, 2008).

References:

UNFPA. 2020. Measuring effectiveness of female genital mutilation elimination: A compendium of Indicators. Prepared and published by UNFPA and UNICEF on behalf of the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on the elimination of female genital mutilation: Accelerating Change.

UNICEF, Innocenti Research Centre. 2008. Platform for Action Towards the Abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C). The Donors Working Group on
Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting.