#MigrantHealth

A new set of urgent recommendations from the World Health Organization aims to curb the rise of medicalized female genital mutilation (FGM) and strengthen care for survivors. The guidance, released April 28, 2025, marks a significant step in the global effort to eradicate FGM and protect girls’ health and rights.

FGM involves partial or total removal of external female genitalia for non-medical reasons and carries serious health risks and human-rights violations. As more procedures are reported to be carried out by healthcare professionals—an trend known as medicalization—the WHO calls for stronger legal and policy actions to discourage this practice and to expand survivor support services. Health experts emphasize that no form of FGM is safe or ethical, regardless of the setting or provider.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued urgent new recommendations aimed at stopping the dangerous trend of “medicalized” female genital mutilation (FGM) and ensuring robust support for women and girls who have undergone the practice, according to a recent release. This latest guidance, announced on April 28, 2025, is seen as a pivotal step in the global fight to eradicate FGM, a deeply harmful practice affecting millions worldwide.

FGM, which involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia for non-medical reasons, poses severe health risks and violates fundamental human rights. In response to mounting evidence that a growing share of FGM procedures are now performed by healthcare professionals—a process known as “medicalization”—the WHO is calling for stricter measures to discourage this troubling shift while intensifying care for survivors.