Egypt’s Minister of Health and Population Dr Ahmed Emad Radi has pledged to eradicate female genital mutilation in Egypt by 2030. In a press release coinciding with the International Day for the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), the Minister said the implementation of the National Population Strategy 2015-2013 aims to eliminate FGM by 2030. Part of the strategy includes a ‘Doctors Against Female Circumcision’ initiative that will educate the public and other doctors against the dangers and un-Islamic nature of FGM. Doctors will also be trained to advise Egyptian families to refrain from FGM and to explain why FGM is not of medical necessity for girls. The announcement by the Health Ministry came on the same day a new report found that FGM among teenage girls in Egypt has dropped by 27 percent over the past 30 years. How widespread is FGM in Egypt Nevertheless, the 2015 Egypt Health Issues Survey (EHIS) has found that around 9 in 10 women aged 15-49 have undergone female genital cutting (also known as female genital mutilation) despite a government ban on the practice. FGM, which the 2015 EHIS says have been a tradition…
