All world leaders had promised to end female genital
mutilation/cutting by 2030 (SDG target 5.3) and ensure
menstrual health “where no one is left behind” by 2030
(SDG-3, 4, 5, 6). But progress is way off the
mark, say experts at SHE & Rights session held
in February 2026, ahead of the upcoming 70th
intergovernmental Session of UN Commission on Status of
Women (CSW70).
“When we speak about violence and
human rights violations, female genital mutilation/cutting
(FGM/C) is among the most heinous crimes. We must end such
practices everywhere if we are to keep the promises of
gender equality and human rights. All world leaders globally
had promised to end female genital mutilation/cutting by
2030 (at the UN General Assembly 2015). Despite such
promises to end female genital mutilation/cutting by 2030
(SDG 5.3), rates have instead risen by 15% in recent
8 years (2016-2024), from 200 million in 2016 to
over 230 million in 2024. One-third of FGM/C happens in Asia
(~80 million),” said Shobha Shukla, SHE & Rights Host
and CNS Executive Director.
FGM/C survivor calls to
end FGM/C – a form of gender-based violence
“My
journey on ending female genital mutilation/cutting did not
begin in an office. Instead, my journey began when I knew
where the shoe hurts most. So, speaking from a perspective
of personal experience (of undergoing female genital
mutilation/cutting), and perspective of pain. Some years
back when I was a very young girl, I was subjected to female
genital mutilation/cutting. That was the first turning point
of life because the pain and psychosocial trauma is so raw
even today in my head. But now I take it as an opportunity
to save more than a thousand girls that I have known and who
have passed through my hand but never underwent the cut,”
said Catherine Menganyi HSC, nurse
epidemiologist, survivor of female genital
mutilation/cutting and a powerful advocate to end it as well
as all forms of gender-based violence in Kenya. She is also
a Co-Founder and Chapter Lead of Women in Global Health,
Kenya.
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“As a survivor of female genital
mutilation/cutting, and as a nurse-epidemiologist, I know
the harmful effects that will be caused by female genital
mutilation/cutting,” said Catherine. “We need to
invest in community-led and
community-owned solutions. Affected
communities understand why harmful practices are occurring
and best placed to find a locally relevant and effective
solution. Investing in community-led responses to end female
genital mutilation/cutting is best.”
FGM/C does not
exist in isolation but controls women/girls’
bodies
“Female genital mutilation/cutting does not
exist in isolation. It is part of a wider system that
controls women’s and girls’ bodies. It limits the
choices of women and girls. It normalises violence against
women and girls. So, we cannot delink female genital
mutilation/cutting from the deeper issue of all forms of
violence against women and girls. We must emphasize the
importance of gender equality because it is not optional. It
must be guaranteed as a right to all women and girls,”
stressed Catherine. “Every girl, every woman has the right
to grow up whole, safe, educated, and free from violence.
Ending female genital mutilation/cutting is not
charity, it is justice.”
“Female genital
mutilation/cutting is referred to by a range of terms but no
matter what terminology we are using, it is
recognised internationally as a grave violation of human and
child rights, particularly sexual and reproductive
health and rights of girls and women and as a form of
gender- based violence. 35% of estimated female genital
mutilation/cutting happens in Asia. We have 13 countries in
South Asia and Southeast Asia where female genital
mutilation/cutting is documented: India, Pakistan, Sri
Lanka, Maldives (South Asia); Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand,
Brunei, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and
Azerbaijan (South-East Asia),” said Safiya
Riyaz, Programme Officer, The Asian-Pacific
Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW) and
coordinator, Asia Network to End FGM/C, Sri
Lanka.
WHO says FGM/C is against medical
ethics
“We are seeing a very worrying trend in
‘medicalisation’ of FGM/C in Asia as more healthcare
professionals are getting involved in performing it. It is
important to remember that female genital mutilation/cutting
has no health or medical benefits and no scientific basis to
justify why a healthcare professional should be engaging in
it. When healthcare professionals perform it then they are
wrongly legitimising this harmful practice as something that
is ‘medically sound’ or ‘beneficial’ when it is not.
We have very explicit condemnations by medical and
scientific bodies such as the WHO, International Federation
of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, International Confederation
of Midwives, UNFPA and others against medicalisation
of female genital mutilation/cutting,” said
Safiya Riyaz. “We see in Asia that female genital
mutilation/cutting has been sustained due to social norms or
ideas around ‘purity’ that by performing female genital
mutilation/cutting on a girl somehow, they become less
promiscuous. It really boils down to a control of
sexuality.”
“In Asia, possible post-procedural
complications of female genital mutilation/cutting such as
infections, long-term pain after child delivery, negative
impact on women’s sex lives and the emotional impacts and
the distress that comes with women realising that this has
been done on them. We have documented complications of
type-one of female genital mutilation/cutting which is also
happening in Asia, whose complications are of more severe
form such as pain, genital swelling, haemorrhage, among
others,” added Safiya Riyaz of Asia Network to end
FGM/C.
Holding governments accountable with UPR to
end FGM/C
This SHE & Rights session marks 20th
anniversary of Universal Periodic Review (UPR). “We have
found the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism very
helpful, including for instance issuing the first-ever
recommendation from an international mechanism to India on
female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) which helps keeps
the issue current. We are seeing the rising anti-rights
pushback, for example, in The Gambia where there have been
efforts to repeal the anti-FGM/C law; as well as in the US,
where the government is trying to misuse the anti-FGM/C law
to attack gender-affirming care,” said Divya
Srinivasan, Global Lead, End Harmful Practices,
Equality Now while responding to a question in SHE &
Rights session.
The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is
a unique, State-driven, UN Human Rights Council mechanism
that periodically examines the human rights records of all
193 UN Member States. It aims to improve human rights
situations globally through 4.5-year cycles of interactive,
peer-reviewed dialogues, where countries highlight progress
and receive recommendations.
“Let us make
accountability mechanisms like UPR more effective in
ensuring gender equality and human right to health are
protected and guaranteed to every person where no one is
left behind,” said Shobha Shukla who hosts SHE &
Rights.
A new report of Equality Now launched
in February 2026, Towards
Justice: Global Challenges and Opportunities in Litigating
Cases of Female Genital Mutilation, produced
with legal research assistance from TrustLaw, the
Thomson Reuters Foundation’s pro bono service, outlines
how survivors of female genital mutilation/cutting and
women’s rights advocates are increasingly using strategic
litigation to strengthen implementation of laws, close legal
gaps, and defend hard-won protections from
rollback.
The research examines strategic litigation
in India, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Liberia, The Gambia, and the
US, and analyses barriers to justice in Australia, Burkina
Faso, Egypt, France, Kenya, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Uganda,
the UK, and the US. Some of the findings of Equality Now
report include:
- Despite a global shift to
criminal bans on female genital mutilation/cutting, many
countries do not have specific law prohibiting the practice,
leaving women and girls unprotected. - Strategic
litigation can clarify the law, expose systemic failures,
set legal precedent, and drive legal and policy
reform. - Prosecutions can empower survivors, raise
public awareness of female genital mutilation/cutting as a
serious human rights abuse, and encourage other survivors to
report. However, prosecutions remain rare, and failings in
justice systems enable immunity.
“Research
shows that female genital mutilation/cutting is taking place
in at least 94 countries across the world. Out of
these 94 countries, 59 of them have specific laws which are
addressing female genital mutilation/cutting. Despite this,
prosecutions and access to justice remains rare in
most of the countries across the world. So that is why this
report was necessary to examine how strategic litigation has
been used across different jurisdictions to improve
accountability and to strengthen the implementation of legal
frameworks. It also looks at access to justice and what
survivors of female genital mutilation/cutting have really
faced when they have tried to access the justice system and
what kind of barriers they have faced,” added
Divya Srinivasan, Global Lead, End Harmful
Practices, Equality Now.
Menstrual health must be a
reality for all menstruators by 2030
Indian Supreme
Court made an important judgement recognising menstrual
health as a fundamental right. “Indian Supreme Court’s
judgment on menstrual hygiene is a landmark one. However, it
is also ironical because the Supreme Court, the highest
court of justice in India, had to intervene for menstrual
health, dignity and hygiene which should have been
guaranteed to all in need already. Supreme Court has
emphasised that the meaning of life under Article 21 of
Indian Constitution is not confined to a mere existence but
includes the right to live with dignity, health, and
self-respect. This means that by recognising menstrual
health and hygiene as an integral part of life under the
Article 21, the court acknowledged a reality that
has been long affecting girls and women particularly in
silence and neglect because it stems from patriarchal
mindset, stigma, and taboo. The recognition is
supported by the constitutional mandate under Article 15
which empowers the State to make special provisions for
women by bringing menstruation into constitutional
discourse. The Supreme Court of India addressed a
long-standing gap between legal guarantees and lived
experiences,” said Debanjana
Choudhuri, independent gender justice
activist.
Agrees Ruchi Bhattar,
journalist with ThePrint, and Lawyer that why Supreme Court
had to intervene in something as basic as right to menstrual
hygiene and health. “Why a court has to issue directions
to authorities or education directors to make sure that
girls do not drop out? (because it must not be happening
anywhere). What is recorded by the government shows that
like approximately 4 million (40 lakhs or 40 lacs) girls
dropped out of primary education in the last four years. So,
a top court had to intervene to make menstrual health a
fundamental right.”
In 2023 also the court
emphasised the responsibility of the state to ensure that
menstrual health is treated not just as a peripheral welfare
issue and but treated like a matter of fundamental right
(and not charity).
“For decades, menstruation has
remained a taboo subject with public institutions,
especially schools. Even to date in schools, menstrual
health, dignity, hygiene and usage of menstrual products is
not shared openly. There are rarely any segregated toilets
at many places. And in many places and/or schools, the
toilets, or the girls’ toilets, are under lock and key,”
said feminist leader Debanjana Choudhuri.
“Despite
some progress in India, menstrual hygiene discourse in India
has always been under sanitation, and it has not been
discussed vocally as a fundamental right. Onset of
menstruation leads to irregular school attendance.
Inadequate toilet facilities, lack of privacy,
unavailability of sanitary products and fear of
embarrassment compel many girl students to remain absent
during their menstrual cycle. This has a huge impact on her
life choices, economic freedom and her dignity. What begins
as a temporary absence frequently develops into an academic
difficulty and in several cases results in discontinuation
of education. She just simply stops going to school,”
shared Debanjana.
“Lack of menstrual dignity,
hygiene, lack of access to sanitary products, disposal and
the entire cycle of shame and stigma leave many
girls behind once they start menstruating.
Avoidance of going to school during menstruation is not just
the physical discomfort that stems from anxiety, but it also
stems from social stigma, institutional neglect and economic
constraints that prevent access to menstrual products,”
said Debanjana Choudhuri.
Menstrual poverty is a
silent killer
“Menstrual poverty is another issue
that we need to talk about in India as it exists. Access to
menstrual products, information, and counselling exists and
the gap is huge. Menstrual poverty operates as a silent
killer. It’s invisible, but it keeps on reinforcing
inequality without being adequately reflected in official
statistics. We hardly have any data in India on menstrual
poverty and there have been several instances where girls
have compromised their health or abandoned their education
due to the absence of basic menstrual support,” said
Debanjana Choudhuri.
“Decision of Supreme Court must
not remain only on paper but implemented to increase access.
When girls are forced to sacrifice their education
or dignity due to biological realities, the harm is
constitutional in nature,” said Debanjana. “The
judgment recognises that exclusion arising from menstruation
cannot be dismissed as a ‘private inconvenience’ or
‘personal issue’.”
“This judgment
also reinforces the principle of substantive
equality. Educational institutions are often
considered neutral spaces, but neutrality loses its meaning
when there are structural differences and the structural
differences are ignored. Failure to address menstrual needs
places girls of course at a very disadvantaged positions in
relation to the boys. By acknowledging this imbalance, the
court reaffirmed the constitutional equality does not mean
identical treatment but requires removal of barriers that
prevent equal participation. Equally significant is the
emphasis on the state’s responsibility. In India, health
is a state subject and recognising menstrual health as a
fundamental right imposes a constitutional obligation on the
state,” said Debanjana Choudhuri.
“Access to
sanitary products, functional toilets, clean water, privacy,
and safe disposal facilities must form an essential part of
the educational system. These are not discretionary
welfare measures but constitutional
requirementsflowing directly from the right to live
with dignity. The judgment also aligns with the
constitutional values of privacy and bodily autonomy,” she
further added. “Menstruation is a personal
experience, but the failure of public institutions is a
public humiliation.”
“The Supreme Court
decision also complements India’s broader commitments to
gender equality. Let’s hope that it is translated into
reality by the states and by the actors, and the
constitutional recognition transforms classrooms or
schools’ infrastructure. We need continuous monitoring,
effective execution, and institutional accountability which
are essential to ensure that this right translates into
tangible changes. Without adequate resources, training and
oversight, this judgment like many other judgments, will
remain largely symbolic,” she added.
“In terms of
service delivery with rights and dignity, we must address
disability, gender identity, geographical differences,
caste-based issues, including Dalit segregation. Health
systems should collect the desegregated data which we
currently lack. We often talk about menstruation only in
gender conformity and I would really want to emphasize that
the Supreme Court decision talks about living with
dignity which is for all menstruators. So, we
really need to understand how we must make access possible,
not just for women and girls, but also transgender, and
non-binary individuals who are also going to schools and
colleges,” said Debanjana.
“We talk a lot about
policies being made in India, but the implementation is
where we lack. This has been time and again acknowledged by
the top court. So, the Supreme Court tried to bridge that
gap by issuing binding directions and making menstrual
hygiene a fundamental right. Now, those girls and women who
are not having these rights can go back to the courts and
appeal for justice to enforce these rights,” said
Ruchi Bhattar, journalist with ThePrint,
and Lawyer.
“Supreme Court judgement (127 pages)
directed all states and union territories in India to ensure
that every school has a functional gender segregated toilet
with usable water and handwashing facilities. Schools must
provide free biodegradable sanitary napkins to girl students
accessible through vending machines or designated
authorities. It directed schools to establish menstrual
hygiene management corners. This is very interesting because
this equips the schools with spare uniforms, inner wares and
disposable bags for emergencies – something which the court
had to come up and tell the tell the states to enforce. The
institutions must implement safe environmentally compliant
disposable mechanisms and incorporate gender-responsive
curriculum to break the stigma around puberty and
menstruation,” said Ruchi Bhattar.
“After 3 months
the Supreme Court will hear this matter again knowing how
well this judgment or this decision has been implemented.
So, the district education officers are mandated to conduct
periodic inspections and obtain anonymous feedback from
students to ensure that menstrual hygiene is maintained very
well and compliance of this judgment has been done and they
are supposed to return back to the Supreme Court within 3
months,” informs Ruchi Bhattar. Judges said, “We
wish to communicate to every girl child who might have
become a victim of absenteeism because her body was
perceived as a burden that the fault is not
hers.”
“Most importantly, I think the
part of the judgment that stuck out with me is how the court
spoke to not just women but like the people around
menstruators – the people that can enforce this – which is
the most important aspect of it. It said that the
responsibility of the state is further heightened in case of
a child with disability as the intersection of disability
with gender compounds the disadvantage faced during
menstruation. The absence of accessibility results in
exclusion from education and reinforces the social and
economic marginal marginalisation,” said Ruchi
Bhattar.
“Court also talks about the men and boys
who are supposed to break the silence and stigma around
menstruation. It emphasised that the role of men and boys
including male teachers and peers is to sterilise
themselves from menstruation-related stigma, until
then such services would be underutilised,” said Ruchi
Bhattar.
Community-led breast cancer screening making
a difference
“Swasthya Setu, A Bridge of
Trust, Courage, and Early Hope, is an initiative of Humana
People to People India which we implemented in 570 villages
of Deoria (Uttar Pradesh state) and Ballari (Karnataka
state) in India,” said Subrat Mohanty,
Health Programmes Coordinator, Humana People to People
India. It increased the uptake of breast self-examination
– a screening for breast cancer.
“For many women,
their own health rarely gets any attention. Those who
developed cancer, such as breast cancer, it was not merely a
medical condition but a sentence: associated with suffering,
loss, and inevitability. Few had heard of breast
self-examination. Fewer still believed that finding
cancer early, could mean survival, not stigma. Our
initiative was a bridge to health, to reach women early.
Between February-December 2025, the project reached more
than 230,000 (2.3 lakh) women across 570 villages,” added
Subrat Mohanty, who is also on the Board of Stop TB
Partnership hosted by United Nations OPS. “We used
theatre, street plays, rallies, small group discussions, and
a range of other local approaches to connect with women and
provide a safe space for open conversations around health,
including issues related to breast self-examination. Slowly,
breast health stopped being taboo. It became a topic of
conversation.”
ASHAs (frontline female health
volunteers) were trained not only as health educators, but
as listeners, guides, and companions. With patience and
respect, they demonstrated breast self-examination, breaking
down medical jargon into simple, repeatable steps. They
reassured women that knowing one’s own body was not
shameful, it was empowering.
Out of 233,583
women screened, 448 women noticed something
unusual-a lump, pain, discharge, or change. What
mattered most was not just the number, but the response.
Instead of hiding symptoms, most women chose to
speak.
ASHAs followed up diligently. They accompanied
women to Primary Health Centres and district hospitals,
explained procedures, mediated conversations with families,
and waited outside examination rooms. Because of this
unwavering support, 88% of women completed their
referrals, a rate significantly higher than national
averages.
In 2025, out of 233,583 women
screened in 570 villages, 448 women had an unusual finding.
Out of them:
- 21 breast cancer cases were
confirmed - 15 women had already started
treatment
SHE & Rights was together hosted
by Global Center for Health Diplomacy and Inclusion (CeHDI),
Women Deliver Conference 2026, International Planned
Parenthood Federation (IPPF), Asian-Pacific Resource and
Research Centre for Women (ARROW), Women’s Global Network
for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR), Asia Pacific Media Alliance
for Health, Gender and Development Justice (APCAT Media) and
CNS.
