In a development that can only be described as "about damn time," a $15.5m (£11.4m) fund has been launched to end female genital mutilation (FGM) worldwide. The practice, which has affected more than 230 million women and girls, now has an unprecedented pile of cash aimed at creating "unstoppable momentum" - a phrase that sounds like it was borrowed from a Marvel movie but is, in this case, entirely appropriate.
The Her Horizon Fund, seeded with $14m from the Wallace Global Fund and an additional $1.5m from an anonymous donor who presumably prefers not to be thanked in public, is thought to be the largest single philanthropic contribution to ending FGM. The goal is to pool $100m from donors to reach a "tipping point" within a generation - because nothing says "we're serious" like a nine-figure target.
This comes as women's rights are under attack and donor funding is in sharp decline, particularly for work led by FGM survivors in local communities. The United Nations had set a goal of elimination by 2030, but progress is not on track. Funding for the largest initiative to end the practice - a joint programme run in 18 countries by UNFPA and Unicef - fell by 45% last year, from $29.6m to $16.3m. So, to recap: the problem is getting worse, and the money is getting less. Enter the new fund, stage left.
Ifrah Ahmed, a Somali-Irish activist and FGM survivor who set up the Ifrah Foundation to end the practice in Somalia, where it is nearly universal, welcomed the cash. "By giving $14m, the global fund will ensure activists can continue their work in this area," she said. Her organisation had $300,000 in UN funding cut by UNFPA last year, but she managed to raise money elsewhere. The Ifrah Foundation has helped push for anti-FGM legislation in Somalia, where three of seven federal member states have enacted bans. In two other states, bills banning the practice have been endorsed by cabinet and are awaiting parliamentary approval - albeit with opposition from religious leaders in some areas. "If we don't continue to raise money, the dream where this practice will end will have died for young girls," Ahmed added, in a sentence that should make everyone feel bad about their Netflix subscription.
Advocates warn that while international recognition of FGM as a human rights violation has grown, and countries such as Burkina Faso, the Gambia and Kenya have criminalised the practice, progress remains fragile. In the Gambia, the supreme court is considering a constitutional challenge to the country's 2015 ban, following a 2024 parliamentary effort to repeal it - which lawmakers rejected after months of debate amid strong resistance from women's rights groups. In Sierra Leone, the new Child Rights Act does not prohibit FGM, despite sustained campaigning. So, you know, mixed bag.
Susan Gibbs, the Wallace Global Fund's senior adviser on women's rights and FGM, called the situation what it is: "a global crisis, an extreme manifestation of gender-based violence and violence against children, and a public health emergency." She noted decades of progress and UN data showing declines in prevalence in some countries, but also "anti-rights pushback and political crises." "Obviously, donor funding is in decline," she said, which is the diplomatic way of saying "we're going backwards." She added: "We're at this critical inflection point. Most frontline organisations have been absolutely starved for resources, and so more direct funding would allow them to sustain and scale up their work." Gibbs attended a Justice for Girls global gathering in Kenya earlier this month, where the fund was officially launched, and described the momentum as "incredible." "Lasting change must be led by the frontline - it cannot be imposed from the outside," she said. "Frontline survivors, activists, they know their communities and they know what it will take. They must have the resources and power to lead." She added: "I'm convinced the impact will be catalytic. There's no doubt in my mind that with adequate funding, these frontline activists have what it takes to get this done."
For those unfamiliar, FGM is the partial or total removal of female genitalia for non-medical reasons. It has been endured by more than 144 million women and girls in Africa, 80 million in Asia and 6 million in the Middle East. The practice can cause immediate health complications such as severe pain, excessive bleeding and infection, as well as long-term consequences including complications during childbirth, chronic pain and lasting psychological trauma. A 2025 study estimated that FGM causes approximately 44,000 deaths each year in the 15 countries examined, making it one of the leading causes of death for women and girls in those countries.
So, to summarise: a $15.5m fund has been launched to fight a practice that kills tens of thousands annually and affects hundreds of millions. It's a start. A very small, very overdue start. But a start.