France faces FGM crisis with 140,000 women affected

France is facing a significant female genital mutilation (FGM) crisis, with national estimates suggesting between 125,000 and 139,000 women are living with the consequences of the practice. Mathilda Silva of Collectif Némésis has highlighted the severity of the issue, particularly in multicultural areas.

In the Seine-Saint-Denis department, data from a 2021 MSF-PREVAL pilot study reported by Santé publique France indicates that approximately 7.2 percent of women aged 18 to 45 have undergone FGM. This equates to roughly 22,500 women, though some estimates suggest the figure could reach as high as 10 percent in the region. This rate is significantly higher than in other French departments, such as Rhône or Alpes-Maritimes, where rates are around or below 1 percent.

Although FGM is illegal in France, the practice persists through circumvention. Silva noted that parents often take young girls on vacations to their countries of origin in Sub-Saharan Africa—including Mali, Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Guinea—where the procedure is performed before they return to France.