Female genital mutilation (FGM) prevention and care – A resource kit for the health sector

Female genital mutilation (FGM)
prevention and care:

A resource kit
for the health sector

This resource kit is a collection of tools and guidance for countries to develop and implement health sector programmes on FGM according to their needs – so that every girl or woman at risk of FGM, or who has already undergone this harmful practice, gets the care and services she needs.

Why is a health sector response needed to address FGM?

FGM is a harmful traditional practice that affects over 200 million girls and women alive today around the world. It is a form of gender discrimination and it violates fundamental human rights. It also has health risks, and addressing these brings economic costs.
Health-care providers are influential members of society and can support social norm change processes through routine health promotion services offered at the facility and community levels. Health-care providers in primary care or specialized health services can play an important role in improving the quality of life of FGM survivors by providing appropriate clinical management and by referring cases for relevant legal and protection services. Moreover, the health sector more broadly can reach communities where more girls and women can receive the care they need.

Together with the legal and education sectors and civil society, the health sector can contribute collaboratively in national efforts to end FGM and to improve the health and quality of life of its survivors.

Intended users of this resource kit

The resources in this kit can be used by health policy-makers, programme planners and managers, health-care providers, educators, members of professional associations, monitoring and evaluation officers, civil society, researchers and others interested in learning about FGM from a public health perspective.

Explore the tool category

Using the wheel to the right, click on the category to provide a definition and link to the category sub-page featuring the relevant tools.

Planning

Guidance and tools that can support the development, specific to each country’s needs, of national health plans to address FGM prevention and care.

TRAINING & EDUCATION

Guidance and tools to support the development of FGM training content in pre-service and in-service training curricula, including training modules for both facilitators and participants on FGM health related issues as well as social norm change approaches.

CLINICAL CARE

Guidance and tools that aide health-care providers in providing clinical management or health promotion services to girls and women at risk of, or who have undergone, FGM.

Monitoring & Evaluation

Guidance and tools that can be used to monitor and evaluate health sector action plans that address FGM, including standardized indicators and guidance for developing surveillance models to capture data for reporting.

ADVOCACY

Resources for advocacy activities targeting decision-makers at all levels, ranging from high-level policy-makers to front-line health -care providers.

RESEARCH

Resources to inform FGM-related research.