The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for urgent action to stop the growing trend of health workers performing female genital mutilation (FGM).

While doctors, nurses, and midwives should help stop FGM and care for survivors, WHO reports that more and more health workers are actually carrying out the harmful procedure. As of 2020, around 52 million women and girls — about 1 in 4 FGM cases — were subjected to the practice by health workers.

To address this, WHO released a new guideline called The prevention of female genital mutilation and clinical management of complications. It gives advice for health workers, governments, and communities on how to prevent FGM and properly care for survivors.

“Female genital mutilation is a serious violation of girls' rights and harms their health," said Dr. Pascale Allotey, WHO’s Director for Sexual and Reproductive Health. "Health workers must be part of the solution, not part of the problem."

FGM usually happens to young girls before puberty and involves removing or injuring parts of the female genitalia for non-medical reasons. Research shows that FGM causes serious harm no matter who performs it — and when done by health workers, it can sometimes cause even deeper, more dangerous injuries. Worse, having professionals perform FGM may make it seem "acceptable," making it harder to end the practice.

Because of this, WHO recommends that professional rules clearly forbid health workers from performing FGM. WHO also stresses the importance of training health workers to refuse requests to perform FGM and to explain its dangers in a sensitive, respectful way.

“Health workers are trusted members of their communities and can help change people’s attitudes about FGM,” said Christina Pallitto, a WHO scientist who led the new guideline. “Doctors, nurses, and midwives must be a big part of the effort to prevent FGM and protect girls’ health.”

In addition to laws and policies, WHO says it’s important to educate entire communities, including men and boys, about the dangers of FGM and the rights of girls and women.

The guideline also offers advice on how to care for FGM survivors. Many survivors will need different types of health support throughout their lives — from mental health services to help with childbirth risks, and sometimes surgery to repair the damage.

WHO believes that with strong commitment, it is possible to end FGM. Countries like Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, and Ethiopia have already made progress, cutting FGM rates among teenage girls by up to 50% over the past 30 years.

Since 1990, a girl's risk of being subjected to FGM has dropped by about three times. However, FGM is still practiced in around 30 countries, and about 4 million girls are at risk each year.