France Confronts Persistent Female Genital Mutilation Concerns

SAY NO TO FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION, Newtown grafitti from Sydney, Australia, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 | Jihad Watch

France is facing continued concerns over female genital mutilation (FGM), with Mathilda Silva of Collectif Némésis arguing that the issue is particularly visible in areas with large immigrant communities. She pointed to Seine-Saint-Denis as a department where many women are believed to have suffered the consequences of the practice.

Silva recently highlighted estimates suggesting that around one in ten women in Seine-Saint-Denis may have experienced FGM, calling the situation deeply alarming. Official findings from the MSF-PREVAL pilot study, conducted in 2021 across healthcare facilities and reported by Santé publique France, estimated that approximately 7.2 percent of women aged 18 to 45 in the department had undergone FGM. That represents roughly one in 14 women and an estimated 22,500 adult women. The study also noted that the upper estimate could reach 10 percent.

The prevalence recorded in Seine-Saint-Denis is considerably higher than estimates from several other French departments. Comparable figures have been placed at around 1 percent in the Rhône and below 1 percent in the Alpes-Maritimes. Across France as a whole, estimates suggest that between 125,000 and 139,000 women may be living with the consequences of FGM.

FGM is illegal in France, but concerns remain over the practice being carried out abroad. Silva alleged that some families take girls to their countries of origin during holidays, particularly to parts of sub-Saharan Africa where FGM remains prevalent, before returning to France after the procedure.

The problem extends beyond France. In 2023, a girl living in Sweden disclosed that she had undergone FGM after being taken to Egypt by her parents during a family holiday, highlighting the difficulties authorities face when procedures are carried out outside the country where the child resides.

Research into Seine-Saint-Denis has identified several African countries, including Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal and Guinea, among the higher-risk countries of origin. Around 24 percent of women surveyed in the department were from such countries, and the estimated prevalence among this group was approximately 30 percent.

At the same time, research indicates that the risk decreases substantially among women born in France after the mid-1990s. Nevertheless, cases involving girls raised in France being taken abroad during holidays demonstrate that legal restrictions alone cannot completely prevent the practice. The issue continues to require awareness, early intervention, protection of children and stronger efforts to ensure that girls remain safe regardless of where they travel.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)