Accelerating Action Towards Ending Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) by 2030

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a rampant practice affecting millions of girls and women in over 90 countries across the globe. It is a human rights violation that includes all procedures of partial or total removal of the external female genitalia which around 200 million girls and women were subjected to, affecting their quality of life, and more than 4 million girls are at risk of each year. One of the main targets for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) is to eliminate FGM by 2030. Increasingly identified as a social and medical challenge, there is an urgent need to accelerate action by shedding light on the data and research on the practice of FGM that would inform policies and practices.

In anticipation of the International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM on Feb 6th and with only seven years left to eradicate this widespread and harmful practice by 2030 according to the SDGs, this Research Topic in Frontiers in Global Women's Health is dedicated to understanding the impact of FGM and how best to tackle and eliminate this practice across different contexts by 2030. We aim to critically examine current interventions and policies available for ending FGM and unpack best practices that would help accelerate eradication efforts.

We are seeking methodological, theoretical, and empirical research articles, case studies, viewpoint articles, review or literature review articles and conceptual articles, covering (but not limited to) the following topics:
• Success stories in eliminating FGM and impactful intersectional approaches that recognize that FGM/C interacts with other major social challenges and forms of oppression.
• Impact of FGM on the quality of life of survivors, with a special focus on mental health
• Means and barriers towards safeguarding girls and women at risk of FGM
• Research related to accessing healthcare services relevant to FGM or lack thereof
• The impact of national legal and policy work in tackling FGM
• Efforts to de-colonize the anti-FGM movement
• The impact of disseminating information on FGM among relevant stakeholders. (i.e. healthcare professionals)
• The effect of FGM reconstructive surgery and other types of genital surgery on the meaning of the practice

We particularly welcome research from Africa and the Middle East where the practice of FGM is primarily concentrated. Also, we encourage researchers from low-and middle-income countries to participate in this research topic. We do realize that FGM is a universal problem and is also practiced in other countries in Asia and Latin America and amongst immigrant populations living in Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand. Therefore, articles from around the globe are also welcome. To ensure the papers bring a fresh perspective to this Research Topic and make substantial contributions to the progress in ending FGM, all topics that fit this scope are welcome, except knowledge, attitude, and perceptions-related topics (as these topics are somewhat over-represented in the FGM literature), to a rapidly growing field.

Research with a focus on children should be submitted to the Children and Health section of Frontiers in Public Health and Frontiers in Pediatrics.