Country of Origin Information

July 2022

Female Genital
Mutilation/Cuttingin MaliFemale Genital Mutilation/Cutting in MaliCountry of Origin Information Report

July 2022.

2

Manuscript completed in June 2022
Neither the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) nor any person acting on behalf of the
EUAA is responsible for the use that might be made of the information contained within thispublication.
Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2022
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ISBN 978-92-9487-545-7 doi: 10.2847/243989 BZ-07-22-334-EN-N© European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), 2022
Cover photo: Malinese women walking in streets in Tombouctou [Ingetje Tadros],©gettyimages,
178817214, url
Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. For any use or reproductionof photos or other material that is not under the EUAA copyright, permission must be sought
directly from the copyright holders.

4

FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION/CUTTING IN MALI

Acknowledgements
This report was written by the Country of Origin Information (COI) Sector of the EUAA. The
following departments and organisations have reviewed the report, together with EUAA:•••France, Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless persons (OFPRA),
Information, Documentation and Research Division (DIDR)
Switzerland, State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), Division Analysis and Services
The Netherlands, Immigration and Naturalisation Service, Office for Country
Information and Language Analysis (OCILA)

It must be noted that the review carried out by the mentioned departments, experts ororganisations contributes to the overall quality of the report but does not necessarily imply
their formal endorsement of the final report, which is the full responsibility of EUAA.

3

EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUMContents
Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................... 3Contents ..........................................................................................................................................4
Disclaimer .......................................................................................................................................5
Glossary and abbreviations...........................................................................................................6
Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 7
Methodology ........................................................................................................................................ 7
Methodological choice of sources and dataset limitations .................................. 7
Defining the terms of reference...................................................................................8
Collecting information ................................................................................................... 9
Quality control ................................................................................................................. 9
Sources ................................................................................................................................................. 9
Structure and use of the report................................................................................... 9
Map ................................................................................................................................................. 11
1.

General information on Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in Mali ........................... 122.

The Legal Framework...................................................................................................... 13
2.1.
2.2
2.3
2.4

3.

Statistics and prevalence ................................................................................................ 19
3.1
3.2

3.3
3.4
4.

National legislation: Constitution, Penal Code ...................................................... 13
2.1.1. Failed legal initiatives ...................................................................................... 15
International obligations .............................................................................................. 16
Implementation and enforcement of the law ......................................................... 17
National programmes, policies, action plans against FGM/C ............................ 18
Datasets ........................................................................................................................... 19
Prevalence and trends ................................................................................................ 20
Prevalence ...................................................................................................................... 20
Trends .............................................................................................................................. 25
Types and forms of FGM/C ........................................................................................ 26
FGM/C Performers........................................................................................................ 27

Societal attitudes and drivers........................................................................................ 28
4.1.
4.2.

Societal attitudes towards FGM/C............................................................................ 28
Drivers.............................................................................................................................. 30

5.

Role of national and international organizations and NGOs ..................................... 32

6.

Consequences and treatment of women and girls refusing to undergo FGM/C ..... 34

Annex 1: Bibliography ..................................................................................................................37
Annex 2: Terms of Reference .................................................................................................... 44

4

FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION/CUTTING IN MALI

Disclaimer
This report was written according to the EASO COI Report Methodology (2019). The report isbased on carefully selected sources of information. All sources used are referenced.
The information contained in this report has been researched, evaluated and analysed withutmost care. However, this document does not claim to be exhaustive. If a particular event,person or organisation is not mentioned in the report, this does not mean that the event has
not taken place or that the person or organisation does not exist.
Furthermore, this report is not conclusive as to the determination or merit of any particularapplication for international protection. Terminology used should not be regarded asindicative of a particular legal position.
‘Refugee’, ‘risk’ and similar terminology are used as generic terminology and not in the legal
sense as applied in the EU Asylum Acquis, the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967
Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees.
Neither the EUAA, nor any person acting on its behalf, may be held responsible for the use
which may be made of the information contained in this report.
The drafting of this report was finalised on 2 May 2022. Some additional information wasadded during the finalisation phase in response to feedback received during the quality
control process, until 19 May 2022.Any event taking place after this date is not included in thisreport. More information on the reference period for this report can be found in themethodology section of the Introduction.

5

EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUMGlossary and abbreviations
CEDAW

Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against
Women

DHS

Demographic and Health Survey

EU

European Union

FGC

Female Genital Cutting

FGM/C

Female Genital Mutilation/Circumcision or Cutting

WHO

World Health Organization

UNHCR

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

6FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION/CUTTING IN MALI

Introduction
The purpose of this report is to provide relevant context information in view of theassessment of international protection status determination, including refugee status andsubsidiary protection.
The report provides background information and mapping of FGM/C practices and trends atnational and regional level in Mali. While relying on the last Demographic and Health Survey(DHS) in 2018, 1 as a starting point, the report complements, contrasts and/or corroborates itwith more recent studies and research carried out and published mostly in the period 2017 2022.
The report provides details on the legal and policy framework, national statistics, trends andprevalence of the practice, societal attitudes and drivers of FGM/C and information on FGM/C
performers as well as types of FGM/C. Finally, the report looks into the role of national andinternational organisations and NGOs, as well as into consequences and treatment of women
not undergoing FGM/C.

Methodology
The reference period is from 2017 to April 2022. The information gathered is a result of desk
research and of an interview with and input from an expert 2, until 2 May 2022. Some limited
additional information was added during the finalisation of this report in response to feedback
received during the quality control process, until 19 May 2022.
This report is produced in line with the EASO COI Report Methodology (2019) and the EASO
COI Writing and Referencing Style Guide (2019).

Methodological choice of sources and dataset limitations
The 2018 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) is a national survey. It is the sixth
Demographic and Health Survey that has taken place in Mali since 1987. Its aim is to provide
data for monitoring the population and health situation in Mali and more specifically toprovide reliable estimates on issues such as fertility levels, marriage, sexual activity,
childhood, maternal mortality and FGM/C. 3

1

Mali, INSTAT et al., Enquête Démographique et de Santé au Mali 2018 [Demographic and Health Survey of Mali
2018], Août 2019, url
2
The expert interviewed is a social scientist. Their area of focus are the links between gender, health andprotection issues with a regional focus on Sub-Saharan Africa and expertise on FGM. The expert has over ten
years of research experience and has written and published a number of relevant articles. The expert conducted
field study and interviews in Southern Mali in 2020 on FGM. The information provided here by the expert is basedon this field study and interviews they conducted, which did not include women not having undergone FGM.
3
Mali, INSTAT and ICF, 2018 Mali Demographic and Health Survey Key Findings, August 2019, url, p. 1
7

EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUMThe DHS collected a ‘nationally representative sample’ and interviewed 10 519 women aged
between 15-49 years in 9 510 households, and 4 618 men aged between 15-59 in half of theselected households. 4 These households were from urban and rural areas as well as from allof Mali’s regions (for Kidal only the urban section was covered) and from Bamako. The
collection of data took place in the period between 6 August and 18 November 2018. 5 There
was a response rate of 98 % of women and 96 % of men. 6
The 2018 DHS does not provide data or information on the attitudes/perceived advantages
towards FGM/C section. The last DHS which included information on this topic was in 2006.
The DHS does not use the same typology of FGM as the WHO. 7
28 Too Many, when referring to datasets on FGM/C, including the DHS, noted that ‘some
results of these surveys may be based on relatively small numbers of women, particularly
when the data are further broken down by, for example, location or age. Therefore, in somecases the trends observed should be interpreted with caution.’ 8 Furthermore, for the region of
Kidal only the urban section was covered, given the difficulties of access to rural populations
and security issues. 9
Another source used in the report was the 2022 UNICEF FGM in Mali: Insights from astatistical analysis. UNICEF provided relevant information and analyses on understanding anddetecting FGM/C trends, prevalence and determining factors. The data on FGM/C were drawn
from Demographic and Health Surveys in 1995, 2001, 2006, 2012-2013 and 2018, while thedemographic data were from the United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs,
Population Division, World Population Prospects 2019, Online edition, 2019. Since this source
included information from five different DHS, its findings were used to outline long-term
variations and trends on FGM/C in Mali. 10

Defining the terms of reference
The terms of reference of this report were built based on internal and EU+ countries surveys
and consultations and on the relevant most recent literature on the topic. Terms of reference
for this report can be found in Annex 2: Terms of Reference.

4

Mali, INSTAT and ICF, 2018 Mali Demographic and Health Survey Key Findings, August 2019, url, p. 1
Mali, INSTAT et al., Enquête Démographique et de Santé au Mali 2018, Août 2019, url, p. 1
6Mali, INSTAT and ICF, 2018 Mali Demographic and Health Survey Key Findings, August 2019, url, p. 1
728 Too Many, Country Profile: FGM in Mali, 2014, 2nd edition December 2020, url, p. 9828 Too Many, Country Profile: FGM in Mali, 2014, 2nd edition December 2020, url, p. 9
9Mali, INSTAT et al, Enquête Démographique et de Santé au Mali 2018, Août 2019, url, p. 1
10
UNICEF, Female Genital Mutilation in Mali: Insights from a statistical analysis, February 2022, url. UNICEF noted
the following on the data included for the statistical analysis: ‘The DHS 2012-2013 was excluded from thecalculation of the national trend line and the trends by ethnic group, since it was not conducted in the northern
regions and thus is not nationally representative. This survey was also excluded from the trend calculation for the
Mopti region, since portions of the region were inaccessible during the data collection for this survey. Trends for
Tombouctou, Kidal and Gao are not shown, as noted on page 21, due to a lack of comparable data over time.’.
Source: UNICEF, Female Genital Mutilation in Mali: Insights from a statistical analysis, February 2022, url, p. 25
58FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION/CUTTING IN MALI

Collecting information
The information in this report resulted from extensive desk research of public electronicsources until 2 May 2022, which were consulted within the time frame and the scope of theresearch. It also drew on an interview with an expert conducted by EUAA for the purposes of
the report in May 2022 (see Sources). All these sources were duly referenced and described.
The sources used are referenced in the Annex 1: Bibliography. Wherever information could
not be found within the timeframes for drafting this report after carefully consulting a range ofsources, this is stated in the report.

Quality control
To ensure that the authors respected the EASO COI Report Methodology and that the Termsof Reference were comprehensively addressed, a review was carried out by COI specialists
from the countries and organisations listed as reviewers in the Acknowledgements section.
All comments made by the reviewers were taken into consideration and almost all of themwere implemented in the final draft of this report, which was finalised on 19 May 2022. EUAA
also performed the final quality review and editing of the text.

Sources
In accordance with EASO COI methodology, a range of different published documentarysources have been consulted on relevant topics for this report. These include reports byinternational organisations, think tanks, academic publications and specialised sources
covering Mali; COI reports by governments; information from civil society, advocacy groups,
humanitarian organisations, and NGOs; reports produced by various bodies of the United
Nations; Malian, international and regionally-based media.
In addition to using publicly available documentary sources, one oral source (expert) was
contacted for this report. The expert interviewed is a social scientist, with focus in the links
between gender, health and protection issues with a regional focus on Sub-Saharan Africa
and expertise on FGM and wishes to stay anonymous for security reasons. The expert hasover ten years of research experience and has written and published a number of relevant
articles. The expert conducted field study and interviews in Southern Mali in 2020 on FGM/C.
The information provided here by the expert is based on this field study and interviews they
conducted, which did not include women not having undergone FGM/C. The source wasinterviewed in May 2022. See Bibliography for additional details.

Structure and use of the report
The report is divided into six parts: a general introductory part and five chapters focusing on
specific aspects related to FGM/C in Mali. After introducing the topic in the Malian context, thereport goes on in the second chapter to address the legal framework in force. The thirdchapter engages with available national statistics, while also highlighting prevalence andtrends.
9EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

The fourth chapter examines societal attitudes towards FGM/C in Mali, as well as drivers of
the practice. The fifth chapter looks into the role of national/international organisations andNGOs and the sixth chapter addresses consequences and treatment of women and girls
refusing to undergo FGM/C.

10

FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION/CUTTING IN MALI

Map
Figure 1. Map of Mali

UN, Mali - Map No. 4231 Rev. 4, February 2020 url

11EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

1.

General information on Female Genital
Mutilation/Cutting in Mali

For 2019, under the Gender Development Index category, Mali ranked at the lowest humandevelopment group, while UN Women stated that ‘the status of women in Mali is still at a low
level’. 11 In 2019, the UN Human Rights Council reported that ‘practices that are harmful towomen and girls, such as […] female genital mutilation, are still widespread’ in Mali. 12
UNICEF noted in 2022 that approximately eight million girls and women had undergone
FGM/C in Mali. 13 As of 2018, 89 % in total of girls and women aged between 15 and 49 years
had undergone FGM/C, with 92 % of them having done so before the age of 10. 14
Furthermore, 73 % of the girls aged between 0 and 14 years had undergone FGM, with the
majority having done so between the ages of zero to five years. 15 According to UNICEF, ‘theprevalence of FGM has remained steady for at least the last five decades’ and less than one
in five girls and women in Mali were in favour of stopping FGM/C, with numbers even lower
among men. 16
Among the 89 % of women aged 15-49 who underwent FGM/C there were significant
variations per region. 17 In 2020, Mali’s population was 20 250 834, out of which 10 105 660
were women. 18

11UNDP, 2020 Human Development Report, 2020, url, p. 358; UN Women Africa, Mali, Women in Mali, n.d., url
UN, Human Rights Council, Situation of human rights in Mali. Report of the Independent Expert on the situationof human rights in Mali, A/HRC/40/77, 21 January 2019, url , para. 51
13
UNICEF, Female Genital Mutilation in Mali: Insights from a statistical analysis, February 2022, url, p. 3
14Mali, INSTAT and ICF, 2018 Mali Demographic and Health Survey Key Findings, August 2019, url, p. 15
15Mali, INSTAT et al., Enquête Démographique et de Santé au Mali 2018, Août 2019, url, p. 345 ; Mali, INSTAT and
ICF, 2018 Mali Demographic and Health Survey Key Findings, August 2019, url, p. 15
16
UNICEF, Female Genital Mutilation in Mali: Insights from a statistical analysis, February 2022, url, p. 3
17Mali, INSTAT et al., Enquête Démographique et de Santé au Mali 2018, Août 2019, url, p. 352
18World Bank (the), Population, total – Mali, 2020, url; World Bank (the), Population, female – Mali, 2020, url
1212FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION/CUTTING IN MALI

2.

The Legal Framework

2.1.

National legislation: Constitution, Penal Code

There is no mention of female genital mutilation/cutting in Mali’s Constitution (1992). 19
Similarly, in Mali’s Penal/Criminal Code (Loi n° 01-079 du 20 août 2001 portant Code pénal),
there is no mention of female genital mutilation/cutting. 20
Different sources reported that there was no national legislation in Mali that specificallycriminalised the practice of FGM/C. 21 However, the World Bank and the organisation 28 Too
Many 22 noted that Article 207 of the Penal Code could be relevant to FGM/C: 23‘Any individual who voluntarily assaults, wounds or commits any other act of violence
and the result of such violence is injury or incapacity for work for more than 20 days,
shall be punishable with a term of imprisonment ranging from one to five years and afine of 20,000 to 500,000 FCFA. If there has been premeditation or ambush thesentence will range from five to ten years’ imprisonment. When the violence, injury or
beatings have been followed by mutilation, amputation, deprivation of use of a limb or
sense, blindness, loss of an eye or other infirmities or diseases, the offence shall bepunishable with a term of imprisonment ranging from five to ten years imprisonment. If
there has been premeditation, the offence shall be punishable with a term of
imprisonment ranging from five to twenty years' imprisonment. Where the blows,
wounds or violence specified above have been committed by the offender on theoccasion or in the practice of their profession, the perpetrator shall be suspended
from their profession for a period ranging from five to ten years. In the case provided
for in paragraphs 2, 3 and 4, a judicial injunction to ban the perpetrator from aparticular place may be pronounced for a period of one to ten years.’ 24

19Mali, Constitution du 25 février 1992, 13 January 2017, urlMali, Droit Afrique, Mali Code pénal, Loi n°01-79 du 20 août 2001, 20 August 2001, url
21
28 Too Many, Mali: The law and FGM, September 2018, url, p. 2; UNFPA, Analysis of Legal Frameworks on
Female Genital Mutilation in Selected Countries in West Africa, January 2018, url, p. 37; UNICEF, Female genital
mutilation country profiles, Mali, updated January 2020, url, p. 1; USDOS, Country Reports on Human Rights
Practices for 2021 - Mali, 12 April 2022, url, p. 25; Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2022, February 2022,
url; UNFPA and Equality Now, Use of the multi-sectoral approach to ending gender-based violence and Female
Genital Mutilation in Africa, December 2021, url, p. 102228 Too Many is an organization established in 2010, with the aim to undertake research and provide knowledge
and tools to those working to end FGM in the countries in Africa where it is practised and across the diaspora
worldwide. Source: 28 Too Many, About, n.d., url
23World Bank (the), Compendium of International and National Legal Frameworks on Female Genital Mutilation,
sixth edition, February 2022, url, pp. 57-58; 28 Too Many, Mali: The law and FGM, September 2018, url, p. 3
24
World Bank (the), Compendium of International and National Legal Frameworks on Female Genital Mutilation,
sixth edition, February 2022, url, pp. 57-58
20

13

EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

28 Too Many further stated that Article 202 of the Penal Code could also be relevant to
FGM/C since it criminalises and punishes, along with Article 207, individuals causing ‘“blows,
wounds or committing voluntary violence” on another’. 25
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) noted that the provisions in the Mali Penal
Code that ban voluntarily cutting, injuring or committing any violence against a person(Articles 208–210), could be interpreted to be relevant with regards to FGM/C. 26 Experts of
the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women who visited Mali in
December 2018 reported that, according to lawyers that they consulted with, there werecertain provisions of the Criminal Code relating to assault, violence and torture (Articles 202,
208 and 209) which could be relevant in cases of FGM/C. However, the courts were boundby the principle of the strict application of criminal law which does not allow the punishmentof acts that are not expressly criminalised under the law. 27
For implementation of the above-mentioned legal framework, please see section 2.3
Implementation and enforcement of the law.
The 2011 Personal and Family Code states, according to 28 Too Many, that ‘Article 5 of theCode forbids “the impairment of a person’s physical integrity, even in the context of areligious or traditional practice, when this is harmful to the person’s health”.’ 28
Circular Letter No. 0019/MSPAS-SG of 7 January 1999 29 of the Ministry of Health prohibits thepractice of FGM/C in health facilities. More specifically, it states:‘given the role of institutions in preserving the health of populations, the practice of
FGM/C cannot be tolerated. Therefore, I urge you and your staff to take appropriate
measures for sanitary purposes under your moral and technical responsibility’. 30
UNFPA states that no actual sanctions for persons practising FGM/C in healthcare facilities in
Mali are foreseen in the Circular Letter, 31 and both the Committee on the Elimination of25

28 too Many, Mali: The law and FGM, September 2018, url, p. 3
UNFPA, Analysis of Legal Frameworks on Female Genital Mutilation in Selected Countries in West Africa,
January 2018, url, p. 37
27
UN CEDAW, Inquiry concerning Mali under article 8 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, 24 December 2019, url, para. 152828 Too Many, Country Profile: FGM in Mali, 2014, 2nd edition December 2020, url, p. 33
29
It has to be noted that the original text of the Circular Letter could not be found30
UNFPA, Analysis of Legal Frameworks on Female Genital Mutilation in Selected Countries in West Africa,
January 2018, url, p. 37
31
UNFPA, Analysis of Legal Frameworks on Female Genital Mutilation in Selected Countries in West Africa,
January 2018, url, p. 37
26

14

FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION/CUTTING IN MALI

Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) 32 and UNFPA reported that it was not strictly
enforced. 33 28 Too Many noted that the Circular Letter remained in force. 34

2.1.1.

Failed legal initiatives

In the period 2002-2017, the Malian government proposed bills to prohibit FGM/C andgender-based violence on several occasions; however, the draft bills were not adopted dueto the opposition of religious leaders, 35 namely in 2002 when the Ministries of Health and for
the Advancement of Women, Children and Families in Mali proposed a law against FGM/C,
which was blocked in Parliament by Islamic clerics, 36 or in 2009, when a proposal for a law
against FGM/C submitted to the National Assembly was dismissed. 37
In July 2017, a draft law against gender-based violence, which included a part on FGM/C, wassubmitted to the Ministry for the Advancement of Women, Children and Families to present to
the National Assembly for approval. 38 On this draft law, UNFPA stated that it included acomponent on FGM/C, while 28 Too Many noted that it prohibited the practice. 39 According toAmnesty International, this draft law codified different crimes of sexual violence in addition torape and aimed at combatting all types of gender-based violence, such as physical,
psychological, sexual or economic violence, including punishing participation or complicity infemale genital mutilation/cutting.40 In December 2020, the government of Mali abandoned
the draft bill due to pressure from religious leaders. 41
In April 2021, Equality Now, the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA),
the Association Malienne pour le Suivi et l’Orientation des Pratiques Traditionnelles(AMSOPT) and the Association pour le Progrès et la Défense des Droits des Femmes (APDF)
jointly filed a case against Mali at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

32‘The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is the body of independent
experts that monitors implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against
Women. The CEDAW Committee consists of 23 experts on women’s rights from around the world.’. Source: UN
OHCHR, Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, n.d., url
33
UNFPA, Analysis of Legal Frameworks on Female Genital Mutilation in Selected Countries in West Africa,
January 2018, url, p. 37; UN CEDAW, Inquiry concerning Mali under article 8 of the Optional Protocol to theConvention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, 24 December 2019, url, para. 16
34
28 Too Many, Mali: The law and FGM, September 2018, url, p. 4
35
UN OHCHR, Mali: Failure to criminalise FGM a violation of women’s fundamental rights – UN experts, 24 June
2020, url
36
UNFPA, Analysis of Legal Frameworks on Female Genital Mutilation in Selected Countries in West Africa,
January 2018, url, p. 37
37
UNFPA, Analysis of Legal Frameworks on Female Genital Mutilation in Selected Countries in West Africa,
January 2018, url, p. 37
38
UNFPA, Analysis of Legal Frameworks on Female Genital Mutilation in Selected Countries in West Africa,
January 2018, url, p. 37; 28 Too Many, Mali: The law and FGM, September 2018, url, p. 4
39
UNFPA, Analysis of Legal Frameworks on Female Genital Mutilation in Selected Countries in West Africa,
January 2018, url, p. 37; 28 Too Many, Mali: The law and FGM, September 2018, url, p. 4
40
AI, Mali. Crimes without convictions. Analysis of the judicial response to conflict-related crimes in Central Mali, 13
April 2022, url, p. 21
41
Maliweb, Mali : le gouvernement sursoit à l’adoption de l’avant-projet de loi sur la VBG, 4 January 2021, url; DW,
Mali: the rights of women put to the test by the religious, 12 January 2021, url
15

EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

Court of Justice in Abuja, Nigeria. The four women’s rights organisations denounced the lackof legal and policy framework that criminalises FGM/C in Mali. 42

2.2 International obligations
The organisation 28 Too Many reported that Mali has signed and ratified a number ofinternational and regional conventions ‘that provide a strong basis for the characterisation of
FGM as a violation of international human rights’, including:
•
•
•
•
•
•

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)
ratified on 10 September 1985
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), acceded on 16 July 1974
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), acceded on
16 July 1974
Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) 1989, signed and ratified in 1990, withreservation on Article 16
Convention Against Torture & Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment (1984) (CTOCIDTP), acceded in 1999 43
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which is mentioned in the 1992
Constitution. 44

Relevant regional conventions that Mali has signed and ratified include:••••

African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, ratified on 3 June 1998
Maputo Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rightsof the Women in Africa (the Maputo Protocol), ratified on 13 January 2005
African Charter on Human and People’s Rights (the Banjul Charter), Mali, ratified on
21 December 1981 45
African Youth Charter. 46

By signing and/or ratifying these treaties, Mali is legally obliged to work towards theimplementation of the provisions, whose aim includes the eradication of FGM/C. 47 28 Too
Many noted that, despite Mali having signed many international and regional treaties that42

Equality Now, Women’s Rights Organizations Challenge Mali’s Lack of Anti FGM Law at The ECOWAS Court ofJustice, 12 April 2021, url; RFI, Women's rights groups take Mali to regional court over inaction against FGM, 12
April 2021, url; Reuters, Mali's failure to ban FGM challenged in West Africa's top court, 12 April 2021, url
43
28 Too Many, Mali: The law and FGM, September 2018, url, p. 10; 28 Too Many, Country Profile: FGM in Mali,
2014, 2nd edition December 2020, url, p. 31; UNFPA, Analysis of Legal Frameworks on Female Genital Mutilation in
Selected Countries in West Africa, January 2018, url, p. 23
44
Mali, Constitution du 25 février 1992, 13 January 2017, url, p. 2
45
28 Too Many, Mali: The law and FGM, September 2018, url, p. 10; 28 Too Many, Country Profile: FGM in Mali,
2014, 2nd edition December 2020, url, p. 31; UNFPA, Analysis of Legal Frameworks on Female Genital Mutilation in
Selected Countries in West Africa, January 2018, url, p. 23
46
UNFPA, Analysis of Legal Frameworks on Female Genital Mutilation in Selected Countries in West Africa,
January 2018, url, p. 2347
28 Too Many, Country Profile: FGM in Mali, 2014, 2nd edition December 2020, url, p. 31

16

FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION/CUTTING IN MALI

protect women and girls from gender-based violence and harmful practices, ‘there is weak
implementation…’. 48 More specifically, different sources reported that there was no national
legislation in Mali that specifically criminalised the practice of FGM/C. 49

2.3 Implementation and enforcement of the law
Considering that there is no law explicitly prohibiting FGM/C in Mali, 50 no information could befound on the implementation and enforcement of a law banning FGM/C in the context of Mali.
28 Too Many further explained in 2018 that, linked to the absence of a law banning FGM/C,
there was a limited number of publicly reported prosecutions or court proceedings related to
FGM/C. 51 In a joined 2016 report, the organization International Federation for Human Rights(FIDH) noted that, with regards to lodging complaints concerning FGM/C, [informal translation]‘many challenges remain, including the stigmatization of complainants’.52 28 Too Many also
underlined a ‘lack of evidence that other national legislation has been used' to prosecute
those performing FGM/C and noted a ‘generally weak implementation and enforcement ofboth international and regional instruments that are meant to protect women and girls’. 53
UNFPA reported a court case which referred to Articles 208-210 of the Penal Code, that ban
voluntarily cutting, injuring or committing any violence against a person. The case concerned
the death of a two-and-a-half-year-old girl who died ‘as a result of FGM’. The girl’s father
reported the case to the police and this case went to court in 2013 in Kayes. 54 No further
information could be found on the outcome of this case.

48

28 Too Many, Mali: The law and FGM, September 2018, url, p. 8
28 Too Many, Mali: The law and FGM, September 2018, url, p. 2; UNFPA, Analysis of Legal Frameworks on
Female Genital Mutilation in Selected Countries in West Africa, January 2018, url, p. 37; UNICEF, Female genital
mutilation country profiles, Mali, updated January 2020, url, p. 1; USDOS, Country Reports on Human Rights
Practices for 2021 - Mali, 12 April 2022, url, p. 25; Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2022, February 2022,
url; UNFPA and Equality Now, Use of the multi-sectoral approach to ending gender-based violence and Female
Genital Mutilation in Africa, December 2021, url, p. 1050
28 Too Many, Mali: The law and FGM, September 2018, url, p. 2; UNFPA, Analysis of Legal Frameworks on
Female Genital Mutilation in Selected Countries in West Africa, January 2018, url, p. 37; UNICEF, Female genital
mutilation country profiles, Mali, updated January 2020, url, p. 1; USDOS, Country Reports on Human Rights
Practices for 2021 - Mali, 12 April 2022, url, p. 25; Freedom House, Freedom in the World 2022, February 2022,
url; UNFPA and Equality Now, Use of the multi-sectoral approach to ending gender-based violence and Female
Genital Mutilation in Africa, December 2021, url, p. 1051
28 Too Many, Mali: The law and FGM, September 2018, url, p. 6
52
FIDH et al., L’application de la Convention sur l’Elimination de toutes les formes de Discrimination à l’Egard desFemmes. Rapport alternatif aux 6ème et 7ème Rapports Periodiques du Gouvernement du Mali, [Application of theConvention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Alternative Report to the 6th and 7th
Periodic Reports of the Government of Mali], Juin 2016, url, p. 1853
28 Too Many, Mali: The law and FGM, September 2018, url, p. 6
54
UNFPA, Analysis of Legal Frameworks on Female Genital Mutilation in Selected Countries in West Africa,
January 2018, url, p. 37
49

17

EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

2.4 National programmes, policies, action plans against
FGM/C
In 2020, Mali had a budget line and funding against FGM/C. 55 According to the organisation
28 Too Many, the main government body in Mali responsible for gender issues, including theelimination of FGM/C, is the Ministry for the Advancement of Women, Children and Families.
The National Action Committee for the Abandonment of Practices Harmful to the Health of
Women and Children (Comité National d’Action pour l’Abandon des Pratiques Néfastes),
which was established in 1999, and the National Programme for the Fight against Excision(Programme National de Lutte pour l’abandon de l’Excision) (PNLE), established in 2002, areresponsible for the coordination of the work to end FGM/C. 56 The National Programme’s
purpose was to serve as a ‘platform for all stakeholders throughout the country’. As part of
the Programme, focal points and Local Action Committees were installed. 57 Its main focus wasto coordinate, monitor and evaluate policy and strategies to prevent FGM/C. CEDAW
reported in December 2019 that, according to the government of Mali, the National
Programme addressed more than 1 080 cases of complications from FGM/C and resulted in
the abandonment of the practice by more than 8 000 practitioners in approximately 1 200
villages, with the support of some religious leaders. 58
In 2010, a national policy for the elimination of FGM/C was prepared in Mali alongside withnational action plans for the periods 2010–2014 and 2015–2019. 59 No information on theoutcomes of the policy or national plans could be found in the sources and time frame ofresearch for the purpose of this report.
In addition, the Ministry for the Advancement of Women, Children and Families developed astrategic communication plan for the elimination of FGM/C for the period 2016–2018, as well
as a national communication strategy on gender-based violence for 2018–2027, where theissue of FGM/C was included. Public awareness campaigns against FGM/C took place andschools were provided with what was described as ‘model lessons’ on FGM/C. 60
Overall, CEDAW noted in December 2019 that Mali had ‘made many efforts to prevent female
genital mutilation/cutting, including through the implementation of policies and programmes
and the establishment of structures and bodies’. 61 However, it highlighted that the policies
55

UNFPA and UNICEF, Policy Brief, Enabling environments for eliminating Female Genital Mutilation, Towards a
Comprehensive and Multisectoral Approach, 2020, url, p. 856
28 Too Many, Mali: The law and FGM, September 2018, url, p. 6
57
UNFPA - UNICEF, Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation, FGM elimination and
COVID-19: Sustaining the momentum. Country Case Studies. Annual Report 2020, September 2021, url, p. 57
58
UN CEDAW, Inquiry concerning Mali under article 8 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, 24 December 2019, url, para. 34
59
UN CEDAW, Inquiry concerning Mali under article 8 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, 24 December 2019, url, para. 35
60
UN CEDAW, Inquiry concerning Mali under article 8 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, 24 December 2019, url, para. 35
61
UN CEDAW, Inquiry concerning Mali under article 8 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, 24 December 2019, url, para. 34

18

FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION/CUTTING IN MALI

and programmes adopted and implemented were not particularly effective and quoted UN
agencies stating that the programmes in place, specifically those meant to provide support tovictims, ‘were inadequate despite the efforts made and the support of the international
community’. 62 Individuals suffering in the aftermath of FGM/C had to pay to receive healthcare
in public hospitals, while the same type of healthcare was free of charge in centres operated
by NGOs. 63 The source further reported that the National Program against FGM/C lacked
human, material and financial resources, as well as coordination in its implementation, inparticular between the central and local authorities. 64 Awareness-raising efforts were notsufficiently targeting the individuals or groups who were in favour of FGM/C, such as religious
leaders, according to CEDAW, while the geographical coverage of awareness-raisingmeasures remained limited. 65

3.

Statistics and prevalence

3.1 Datasets
Two of the main sources widely used when researching data on FGM/C are the Demographicand Health Surveys (DHS) and the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) by UNICEF. 66
Until the end of the drafting period for this report, on 2 May 2022, the latest available Multiple
Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) by UNICEF on Mali was the 2015 Survey. 67 The latest available
Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) for Mali was the 2018 Report, published in August
2019 in French, with a summary of key findings available also in English. 68 Out of these twomain sources, this report used the data of the 2018 DHS, in order to outline the prevalence of
FGM/C in Mali, since it provided the most up-to-date information. Another source used in thereport was the 2022 UNICEF FGM in Mali: Insights from a statistical analysis, with data from
Demographic and Health Surveys in 1995, 2001, 2006, 2012-2013 and 2018. 69 For more
information on methodological choice of sources, including dataset limitations, see
Methodological choice of sources and dataset limitations.

62

UN CEDAW, Inquiry concerning Mali under article 8 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, 24 December 2019, url, para. 37
63
UN CEDAW, Inquiry concerning Mali under article 8 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, 24 December 2019, url, para. 37
64
UN CEDAW, Inquiry concerning Mali under article 8 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, 24 December 2019, url, para. 38
65
UN CEDAW, Inquiry concerning Mali under article 8 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, 24 December 2019, url, para. 38
66
UNICEF Data, Female genital mutilation (FGM), May 2022, url
67
UNICEF, MICS, Surveys, filter by country, Mali, n.d., url
68
DHS Program (the), Publications, Publications Search, filter by country, Mali, n.d., url
69
UNICEF, Female Genital Mutilation in Mali: Insights from a statistical analysis, February 2022, url
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EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

3.2 Prevalence and trends
Prevalence
The 2018 Mali DHS 70, which covered all the regions of Mali 71, included information on theprevalence of FGM/C among women aged 15-49 and girls aged 0-14. 72 In total 89 % of girls
and women aged between 15 and 49 years had undergone the practice. 73 In addition, 73 % of
the girls aged between 0 and 14 years had undergone FGM/C. 74
Geographic variations
Figure 2. Prevalence of FGM in Mali by region 75

70

In French, l’Enquête Démographique et de Santé du Mali or EDSM‑VI
Administratively, Mali is comprised of eight regions (Kayes, Koulikoro, Sikasso, Ségou, Mopti, Tombouctou, Kidal
and Gao) and Bamako. Source: Mali, INSTAT and ICF, 2018 Mali Demographic and Health Survey Key Findings,
August 2019, url, p. 1
72Mali, INSTAT, and ICF, 2018 Mali Demographic and Health Survey Key Findings, August 2019, url, p. 1; Mali,
INSTAT et al., Enquête Démographique et de Santé au Mali 2018, Août 2019, url, p. xxi
73
Mali, INSTAT et al., Enquête Démographique et de Santé au Mali 2018, Août 2019, url, p. 346
74
Mali, INSTAT and ICF, 2018 Mali Demographic and Health Survey Key Findings, August 2019, url, p. 1575
28 Too Many, Prevalence of FGM in Mali by region [Source: DHS 2018], n.d., url
71

20

FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION/CUTTING IN MALI

The map on FGM/C prevalence by 28 Too Many is based on the 2018 DHS findings anddemonstrates the FGM/C prevalence by region in Mali. Among the 89 % of women aged 1549 who underwent FGM/C there were significant variations per region. More specifically,
94.7 % had undergone FGM/C in Kayes, 91 % in Bamako, 95.9 % in Koulikoro, 96 % in Sikasso,
91.6 % in Ségou, 82 % in Mopti, 50.1 % in Tombouctou, 1.4 % in Gao and less than 1 % in Kidal,
only in the urban areas. 76 Similarly, USDoS reported for 2021 that FGM/C was practiced widely
throughout Mali and particularly in rural areas, with the exception of some northern areas. 77
Among girls aged 0-14 years, the prevalence varied by region: 89.7 % in Kayes, 76.5 % in
Koulikoro, 76.1 % in Bamako, 73.8 % in Sikasso, 72.8 % in Ségou, 64.4 % in Mopti and 29 % in
Tombouctou. No cases were found in Kidal and Gao. 78
Ethnic variations
The substantial regional variations are linked to the presence of different ethnicities (andsubsequently to the extent to which each ethnicity practiced FGM/C) in the different regions. 79
28 Too Many similarly noted that Mali had significant regional variations in prevalence,
ranging from around 2 % to 98 %, linked to the country’s diverse ethnic communities. 80 Boththe Girl Generation, an Africa-led movement to end FGM, and USDoS noted that the low
prevalence of FGM/C in the north of Mali (Tombouctou and Gao regions) was linked to thepresence of Songhai, Tuareg and Moor ethnic groups who, in general, were not practicing
any form of FGM/C. 81
UNICEF described FGM/C as ‘universal’ among some ethnic groups, such as the Bambara,
the Sarakolé/ Soninké/ Marka, the Malinké and the Sénoufo/ Minianka, but significantly lesswidespread among the Sonraï and the Touareg/Bélla. 82
Table 1 below shows the percentage of girls and women aged 15-49 years who haveundergone FGM/C by ethnicity and geographical distribution in Mali. The percentage ranged
from 97 % among the Bambara, to significantly lower numbers among the Touareg/Bélla(24 %) and the Sonraï (32 %). 83

76

Mali, INSTAT et al., Enquête Démographique et de Santé au Mali 2018, Août 2019, url, p. 352
USDOS, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2021 - Mali, 12 April 2022, url, p. 25
78
Mali, INSTAT et al., Enquête Démographique et de Santé au Mali 2018, Août 2019, url, p. 353
79
UNICEF, Female Genital Mutilation in Mali: Insights from a statistical analysis, February 2022, url, p. 7; 28 Too
Many, Country Profile: FGM in Mali, 2014, 2nd edition December 2020, url, p. 40; France, OFPRA, Les mutilations
génitales féminines, Situation depuis 2014, 17 Novembre 2016, url, p. 480
28 Too Many, Country Profile: FGM in Mali, 2014, 2nd edition December 2020, url, p. 40
81
USDoS, Mali: Report on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) or Female Genital Cutting (FGC), 1 June 2001, url;Girl Generation (The), Mali, n.d., url
82
UNICEF, Female Genital Mutilation in Mali: Insights from a statistical analysis, February 2022, url, p. 7
83
UNICEF, Female Genital Mutilation in Mali: Insights from a statistical analysis, February 2022, url, p. 7
77

21

EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUMTable 1: Percentage of girls and women aged 15 to 49 years who have undergone FGM/C
by ethnicity 84
Geographicaldistribution of ethnic
groupsEthnicity

Percentage of girls and women aged
15-49 years who have undergone
FGM/C

Bamako, Sikasso,
Segou, Kayes,
Koulikoro

Bambara97

Koulikoro, Kayes

Sarakolé/ Soninké/
Marka

95

Kayes, Koulikoro

Malinké95

Sikasso, Segou

Sénoufo/ Minianka

95

Mopti, Segou

Peulh

93

n/a

Other Malian

91

Mopti

Dogon

83

Segou

Bobo

Gao, Tombouctou

Sonraï

32

Tombouctou, Kidal,
GaoT(o)uareg (Tamachek) 85/
Bélla

24

71

84

UNICEF, Female Genital Mutilation in Mali: Insights from a statistical analysis, February 2022, url, p. 7; 28 Too
Many, Country Profile: FGM in Mali, 2014, 2nd edition December 2020, url, p. 2185
28 Too Many, Country Profile: FGM in Mali, 2014, 2nd edition December 2020, url, p. 28

22

FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION/CUTTING IN MALI

UNICEF further noted that variations by region ‘appear strongly correlated with the presenceor absence of ethnic groups 86 that commonly practise it’. 87 For instance, the Bambara, one of
the ethnicities that extensively practiced FGM/C, had a percentage of girls and women aged
15-49 who underwent FGM/C ranging between 100 % and 95 % in Kayes, Bamako, Koulikoro,
Sikasso and Ségou. The Peulh had a percentage ranging between 100 % and 93 % in thesame regions and in the capital city. 88 Another example is that in Bamako the percentage ofgirls and women who underwent FGM/C among the Peuhl was 96 % while among the Sonraï
it was 51 %. 89
Age variations
In total 89 % of girls and women aged 15-49 years have undergone the practice. 90 76 % of thewomen who underwent FGM/C did so before the age of 5, 16 % between the ages 5-9 years
and 4 % between the ages 10-14, meaning that 92 % underwent FGM/C before the age of 10. 91
73 % of the girls aged 0-14 years had undergone FGM/C. 92 More specifically, according to
information provided by the mother, most of the girls who underwent FGM/C did so before
the age of 5, 34.2 % before turning 1 year old, 31.9 % between the age of 1 and 4 years, 5.2 %between 5 and 9 and only 0.4 % between 10 and 14. 0.9 % did not know and 27.3 % had notundergone FGM/C, adding up to a total of 100 %. 93
According to the 2018 DHS, a comparison between the age that women between 15-49 andgirls between 0-14 reported having undergone FGM/C demonstrated that the percentage ofgirls having undergone FGM/C was slightly higher than that of women. 94
On the geographic distribution of the age variations, UNICEF noted that approximately threeout of four girls under the age of 15 in Mali had undergone FGM/C. More specifically, 90 % ofgirls under 15 underwent FGM/C in Kayes, 77 % in Koulikoro, 76 % in Bamako, 74 % in Sikasso,
73 % in Ségou, 64 % in Mopti, 29 % in Tombouctou, 1 % in Kidal and 0 % in Gao. 95

86

UNICEF highlighted the following limitations regarding the data used: the values in parentheses are based on atleast 25 ‘unweighted’ cases. In addition, data for some ethnic groups are ‘suppressed’ due to insufficient numbersof cases to perform the analysis. Finally, data for Kidal are only on urban areas, due to difficulties accessing rural
areas for data collection. Source: UNICEF, Female Genital Mutilation in Mali: Insights from a statistical analysis,
February 2022, url, pp. 8 - 9
87
UNICEF, Female Genital Mutilation in Mali: Insights from a statistical analysis, February 2022, url, p. 8
88
UNICEF, Female Genital Mutilation in Mali: Insights from a statistical analysis, February 2022, url, pp. 8-9
89
UNICEF, Female Genital Mutilation in Mali: Insights from a statistical analysis, February 2022, url, p. 8 - 9
90Mali, INSTAT et al., Enquête Démographique et de Santé au Mali 2018, Août 2019, url, p. 346
91
Mali, INSTAT and ICF, 2018 Mali Demographic and Health Survey Key Findings, August 2019, url, p. 15
92
Mali, INSTAT and ICF, 2018 Mali Demographic and Health Survey Key Findings, August 2019, url, p. 15
93
Mali, INSTAT et al., Enquête Démographique et de Santé au Mali 2018, Août 2019, url, pp. 353
94Mali, INSTAT et al., Enquête Démographique et de Santé au Mali 2018, Août 2019, url, p. 348
95
UNICEF, Female Genital Mutilation in Mali: Insights from a statistical analysis, February 2022, url, p. 10
23

EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUMOther variations
UNICEF, in a 2022 statistical analysis on FGM/C in Mali, which was based on data from four
different DHS (for more information see Methodological choice of sources and dataset
limitations ), provided some more long-term information and comparisons on variations.
UNICEF noted that FGM/C remained high among girls and women from diverse backgrounds.
Place of residence, education and financial situation did not appear to particularly affect theprevalence of the practice. 96 The percentage of girls and women aged 15-49 who underwent
FGM/C in urban areas was very high in both rural and urban areas. 97 Similarly, there were
small variations depending on the education level. Additionally, FGM/C was common acrossdifferent religions. 98 75 % of women and girls between 15-49 who underwent FGM/C wereProtestant, 83 % Catholic, 89 % Muslim and 95 % of the women and girls were indicated aswithout religion. 99

96

UNICEF, Female Genital Mutilation in Mali: Insights from a statistical analysis, February 2022, url, p. 6
UNICEF, Female Genital Mutilation in Mali: Insights from a statistical analysis, February 2022, url, p. 6; 28 Too
Many, Country Profile: FGM in Mali, 2014, 2nd edition December 2020, url, p. 40
98
It has to be noted that a breakdown by religion as a characteristic related to prevalence of FGM was notincluded in the 2018 DHS. It was included in previous DHS, such as in the 2012-2013 and the 2006. Source: Mali,
CPS/MS, DNSI/MEIC et Macro International Inc., Enquête Démographique et de Santé du Mali 2006, Décembre
2007, url; Mali, CPS/SSDSPF et al., Enquête Démographique et de Santé au Mali 2012-2013, Mai 2014, url; Mali,
INSTAT et al., Enquête Démographique et de Santé au Mali 2018, Août 2019, url
99
UNICEF, Female Genital Mutilation in Mali: Insights from a statistical analysis, February 2022, url, p. 6
97

24

FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION/CUTTING IN MALI

Trends
According to the 2018 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), there were small variations in
the prevalence of FGM/C 100 from 1995/1996 to 2018 when the last DHS took place, with theprevalence being consistently above 85 %. 101 USDoS reported for 2021 that FGM/C waspracticed broadly by all religious and ethnic groups throughout Mali, with the exception ofsome northern areas. 102
As of 2020, 89 % of girls who underwent FGM/C were under five. Reasons for this change
included the belief that wounds heal faster at an earlier age as well as the ability to conceal
the practice among young girls. The source stressed that due to this reasoning, infants as
young as 20 days had started undergoing FGM/C. 103 UNICEF noted in 2022 that there was atrend of earlier cutting in Mali, with adolescent women more likely to have experienced
FGM/C before the age of five than older women. More specifically, 82 % of adolescent
women aged 15-19 experienced FGM/C before the age of 5 compared to 70 % of women
aged 45-49. 104
A joint UNFPA and UNICEF 2021 report highlighted that FGM/C historically was mostly
practiced on girls between 14 to 15 years old to prepare them for marriage. That trend
persisted in the Kayes region, as well as among Dogon and Senoufo ethnic groups where
girls between 13 and 14 years were taken from school and underwent FGM/C in what is
described as ‘a rite of passage in preparation for marriage’. However, a change and decrease
were observed regarding the average age of girls undergoing FGM/C. 105

100

The DHS refers to FGM as Female Genital Cutting (FGC). For the purposes of this report, the practice is referred
as FGM following the World Health Organization’s naming. For more information, see WHO, Female genital
mutilation, 21 January 2022, url
101
Mali, INSTAT et al., Enquête Démographique et de Santé au Mali 2018, Août 2019, url, p. 346
102
USDOS, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2021 - Mali, 12 April 2022, url, p. 25
103
UNFPA - UNICEF, Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation, FGM elimination and
COVID-19: Sustaining the momentum. Country Case Studies. Annual Report 2020, September 2021, url, p. 57
104
UNICEF, Female Genital Mutilation in Mali: Insights from a statistical analysis, February 2022, url, p. 14
105
UNFPA - UNICEF, Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation, FGM elimination and
COVID-19: Sustaining the momentum. Country Case Studies. Annual Report 2020, September 2021, url, p. 57
25

EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

3.3

Types and forms of FGM/C

The World Health Organization classifies FGM/C in four major types and in sub-types. 106
Table 2: WHO classification of FGM/C 107

Type I

I.a Removal of the clitoral hood or
I. Clitoridectomy: partial or total prepuce only
removal of the clitoris and/or the
I.b Removal of the clitoris with the
prepuceprepuceII.a Removal of the labia minora only

Type II

II. Excision: partial or total removal of II.b Partial or total removal of the clitoris
the clitoris and the labia minora, with and the labia minora
or without excision of the labia majora
II.c Partial or total removal of the clitoris,
the labia minora and the labia majora

Type III

III. Infibulation: narrowing of thevaginal orifice with creation of acovering seal by cutting andapposition of the labia minora and/or
the labia majora, with or without
excision of the clitoris

Type IV

IV. All other harmful procedures to
For example, pricking, piercing, incising,
the female genitalia for non-medical
scraping and cauterization
purposes

III.a Removal and apposition of the labia
minoraIII.b Removal and apposition of the labia
majoraAccording to the 2018 DHS classification 108, among women aged 15-49 years, the mostprevalent type of FGM/C in Mali was cut with flesh removed (41 %). 25 % of the women
underwent a simple cut/nick without flesh removed, and 8 % underwent Type III/infibulation.
26 % of the women who had undergone FGM/C were not able to describe the type they had
undergone. 109

106

WHO, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research (SRH), Types of female genital mutilation, n.d., urlWHO, Eliminating Female genital mutilation – An Interagency Statement, 2008, url, p. 24
108
The DHS does not use the exact same classification of types of FGM/C as the WHO. Source: 28 Too Many,
Country Profile: FGM in Mali, 2014, 2nd edition December 2020, url, p. 9
109Mali, INSTAT et al., Enquête Démographique et de Santé au Mali 2018, Août 2019, url, p. 346
107

26

FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION/CUTTING IN MALI

Among girls aged 0-14 years who had undergone FGM/C and more specifically infibulation,
11.4 % were sewn and closed and 88.6 % were not sewn and not closed. 110
UNICEF reported in 2022 that the most severe form of FGM/C, in which the vaginal opening issewn closed, can be encountered in every region of Mali where FGM/C is practised. Overall,this most severe form affects 1 in 10 girls who have undergone FGM/C in Mali. 111
Table 3: Percentage by region of girls aged 10-14 years who have undergone FGM/C, by
type of FGM/C performed 112
TYPE

Bamako Koulikoro Sikasso

Mopti

Ségou

Tombouctou Kayes

Sewn
closed

20

12

11

11

8

(5)

4

Not sewnclosed

80

88

89

89

92

(95)

96

The highest percentage of girls aged 10-14 years having their vaginal opening sewn closed isfound in Bamako, while the lowest in Kayes and subsequently the highest percentage of
FGM/C not sewn closed is found in Kayes and the lowest in Bamako. 113

3.4 FGM/C Performers
According to the 2018 DHS for Mali, for 91.5 % of the women aged 15-49, FGM/C was
performed by a traditional practitioner, such as a traditional circumciser or a traditional birthattendant. For 98.6 % of the girls aged 0-14 years who underwent FGM/C, the performer wasa traditional practitioner. 114 Other categories of FGM/C performers included healthcare
professionals (1.4 % and 0.3 %) for girls and women respectively, other traditional performers(0.3 % and 0.1 %), doctors (0.6 % and 0.2 %), nurse/midwife (0.8 % and 0.2 %) andunknown/missing (0.0 % and 8.2 %).115

110

Mali, INSTAT et al., Enquête Démographique et de Santé au Mali 2018, Août 2019, url, p. 354
UNICEF, Female Genital Mutilation in Mali: Insights from a statistical analysis, February 2022, url, p. 12
112
UNICEF, Female Genital Mutilation in Mali: Insights from a statistical analysis, February 2022, url, p. 12. Also,
values in Table 3 ‘are based on at least 25 unweighted cases, those based on 25 to 49 unweighted cases areshown in parentheses and data for some regions are suppressed due to insufficient numbers of cases to performthe analysis.’. Source: UNICEF, Female Genital Mutilation in Mali: Insights from a statistical analysis, February 2022,
url, p. 12
113
UNICEF, Female Genital Mutilation in Mali: Insights from a statistical analysis, February 2022, url, p. 12
114
Mali, INSTAT et al., Enquête Démographique et de Santé au Mali 2018, Août 2019, url, p. 354
115
Mali, INSTAT et al., Enquête Démographique et de Santé au Mali 2018, Août 2019, url, p. 354
111

27

EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

28 Too Many noted in 2018 that in almost all the cases, FGM/C in Mali continued being
performed by traditional practitioners and that medicalised FGM/C was not widespread. 116
FGM/C was traditionally performed by women, elderly according to one source, who
belonged to the blacksmith caste. These women were very familiar with traditional medicine
and ‘were believed to have special powers to ensure a successful procedure’. 117
Cross-border FGM/C
According to 28 Too Many, the absence of national legislation against FGM/C in Mali ‘gives
families and cutters from neighbouring countries the opportunity to move across borders to
avoid prosecution’. Mali shares borders with Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mauritania,
Niger and Senegal, countries with wide variations on FGM/C prevalence and implementationand enforcement of laws. While cross-border FGM/C was described as ‘an ongoing challenge
across West Africa’, the source reported a lack of data on the number of women and girls
across the region taken abroad to be cut and noted the absence of any provision againstcross-border FGM/C in Mali’s Penal Code. 118

4.

Societal attitudes and drivers

4.1.

Societal attitudes towards FGM/C

The 2018 DHS reported that three fourths of women and men were in favour of FGM/C being
performed, while 18 % of women and 13 % of men were against the perpetuation of thepractice. In addition, circumcised women were largely more in favour of the practicecontinuing (81 %) than non-circumcised ones (12 %). 119 Similarly, UNICEF reported that
opposition to FGM/C in Mali was not a regular phenomenon. It further noted that thepercentage of Malians (girls, women, boys and men 15 to 49 years old) against thecontinuation of FGM/C was consistently low since 2001. More specifically, in 2001, 13 % ofgirls and women, and 18 % of boys and men were in favour of discontinuing FGM/C. In 2006,
it was 16 % and 22 % respectively, and, in 2018, 17 % and 13 % respectively. The source also
highlighted a slight increase in the percentage of girls and women against the continuation of
FGM/C while the percentage of boys and men fluctuated. 120

116

28 Too Many, Mali: The law and FGM, September 2018, url, p. 4
Canada, ACDI/CIDA , Mali: L’excision: un rite de passage en voi d’être dépassé, 2011, cited in: 28 Too Many,
Country Profile: FGM in Mali, 2014, 2nd edition December 2020, url, p. 44; Plan International, Tradition et droits .
L’excision en Afrique de l’Ouest, url, p. 36
118
28 Too Many, Mali: The law and FGM, September 2018, url, pp. 4 - 5
119Mali, INSTAT and ICF, 2018 Mali Demographic and Health Survey Key Findings, August 2019, url, p. 15
120
UNICEF, Female Genital Mutilation in Mali: Insights from a statistical analysis, February 2022, url, p. 18
117

28

FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION/CUTTING IN MALI

According to UNICEF, there is a direct correlation between regional prevalence of FGM/C andsocietal attitude towards the practice. The percentage of societal attitude against FGM/C ishigher in the regions where FGM/C is not very prevalent. For instance, the percentage of
opposition to FGM/C is highest in Kidal 121 and Gao, with 95 % and 93 % respectively, where
there is a 0 % and 1 % of FGM prevalence. On the other hand, the opposition to FGM/C islower in Sikasso and Koulikoro (8 % and 16 %). These are regions with very high prevalence of
FGM/C, both at 96 %. 122
The 2022 Bertelsmann Transformation Index (BTI) for Mali noted that, in January 2021,
protests were organised by religious leaders who were against the criminalisation of
FGM/C. 123 In addition, according to the UNFPA and UNICEF, for 2020, Mali was the only
country in the Joint Program where religious leaders continued opposing the elimination of
FGM/C. 124 Opposition from religious leaders was described as ‘one of the main obstacles tothe adoption of the preliminary bill on gender-based violence, under which female genital
mutilation is prohibited’. CEDAW noted that, in 2016, the Ministry for the Advancement of
Women, Children and Families identified the High Islamic Council, the Malian Association for
the Unity and Progress of Islam and the Malian Association of Qur’anic Schools as some ofthose opposed to the adoption of the 2017 law against gender-based violence, including
female genital mutilation/cutting.125
The 2006 126 DHS included information on opinions and beliefs towards FGM/C. Men andwomen were asked what were, in their opinion the advantages for a girl to undergo and to
not undergo FGM/C. 127 Women indicated that the main and most important driver forundergoing FGM/C was social recognition (36.8 %), followed by, in order of prevalence,
religious necessity (23.5 %), better hygiene (22.4 %), no advantage (17.4 %), other (15.8 %),preservation of virginity (11.7 %), better chances for marriage (9.6 %) and last, more pleasant
for men (7.1 %). 128 Men indicated that the most important driver was religious necessity(24.7 %), no advantage (23 %), preservation of virginity (21.8 %), social recognition (19.4 %),other (18.5 %), better hygiene (14.3 %), better chance of marriage (5.1 %) and more pleasant formen (4.8 %). 129
According to an organisation interviewed in 2017 by the Belgian Country of Origin Information
research unit, Cedoca, there were many parents in Mali opposing their daughters undergoing
121

To be noted that in Kidal this percentage reflects only the situation in urban areas. Source: UNICEF, Female
Genital Mutilation in Mali: Insights from a statistical analysis, February 2022, url, p. 17
122
UNICEF, Female Genital Mutilation in Mali: Insights from a statistical analysis, February 2022, url, p. 17
123
Bertelsmann Stiftung, BTI 2022 Country Report Mali, 23 February 2022, url, p. 18
124
UNFPA - UNICEF, Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation, FGM elimination and
COVID-19: Sustaining the momentum. Performance Report. Annual Report 2020, September 2021, url, p. 40
125
UN CEDAW, Inquiry concerning Mali under article 8 of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, 24 December 2019, url, para. 47
126
Information on perceived advantages/drivers of undergoing FGM was only provided at the 2006 DHS and not
at the 2012-2013 or at the 2018 DHS. Source: Mali, CPS/SSDSPF et al., Enquête Démographique et de Santé auMali 2012-2013, Mai 2014, url; Mali, CPS/MS et al., Enquête Démographique et de Santé du Mali 2006, Décembre
2007, url; Mali, INSTAT et al., Enquête Démographique et de Santé au Mali 2018, Août 2019, url
127Mali, CPS/MS et al., Enquête Démographique et de Santé du Mali 2006, Décembre 2007, url, p. 296
128
Mali, CPS/MS et al., Enquête Démographique et de Santé du Mali 2006, Décembre 2007, url, p. 297
129
Mali, CPS/MS et al., Enquête Démographique et de Santé du Mali 2006, Décembre 2007, url, p. 298
29EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

FGM/C while another organisation noted an increasing number of parents opposing. Morespecifically, according to the organisation TAGNE, the consequences were not significant inareas covered by NGOs working against FGM/C. However, in some areas [informaltranslation] ‘there were pressures.’ A member of the organisation AMSOPT noted that
[informal translation] ‘…the risk of this refusal is that it can cause a social divide in family
relationships.’ They added that, in Malian culture, it is not the parents who decide what will
happen to their children, it is the eldest in the family who makes the decisions. 130 Similarly, 28
Too Many reported that ‘anecdotally mothers-in-law and grandmothers are generally
implicated in deciding on FGM’. 131
Sociodemographic characteristics and attitude towards FGM/C
Regarding the attitude of women and men towards the continuation of FGM/C, the 2018 DHS
noted that for those women in favour of continuing FGM/C there were no significant variations
depending on age group or economic quintile. There were some variations depending onlevel of education and there were some significant variations depending on the region, withthe lowest being 0 % in Kidal and 2.7 % in Gao and the highest 83 % in Sikasso. Where
women were against continuation of FGM/C, the most significant variations were observed
depending on the region, with the highest percentage being in Kidal 95 % and the lowest in
Sikasso, 8 %. For men in favour of and against FGM/C, again the largest variations wereobserved depending on the region. 132

4.2.

Drivers

According to UNICEF, ‘opposition to FGM is uncommon in Mali’. However, individuals who are
more educated, especially women, and individuals who identify themselves as Christian, weremore likely to be against the continuation of FGM/C. 133 More specifically, it appears that
religion and education constitute the only two aspects where significant variations areobserved in the attitude towards FGM/C depending on type of religion and on level of
education. Age, place of residence and wealth quintile do not appear to significantly affectattitudes towards the continuation of FGM/C. 134
Below some more details on sociodemographic factors that can influence attitudes towards
FGM/C.

130

Belgium, Cedoca, Mali. Les mutilations génitales féminines (MGF), 18 Juillet 2017, url, p. 20
28 Too Many, Country Profile: FGM in Mali, 2014, 2nd edition December 2020, url, p. 72
132
Mali, INSTAT et al., Enquête Démographique et de Santé au Mali 2018, Août 2019, url, p. 356
133
UNICEF, Female Genital Mutilation in Mali: Insights from a statistical analysis, February 2022, url, p. 16
134
UNICEF, Female Genital Mutilation in Mali: Insights from a statistical analysis, February 2022, url, p. 16
13130

FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION/CUTTING IN MALI

Religion
According to the 2018 DHS survey, 70 % of women and 69 % of men aged 15-49 years
believed that FGM/C was required by religion. The perceptions varied by region 135: while inGao 6 % of women and 4 % of men believed that FGM/C was mandated by religion, in Sikasso
76 % of women and 78 % of men believed so. 136
According to an expert interviewed for the purposes of this report 137, drivers for FGM/C
included religion and social pressure. The social perception is that if a girl or a woman had
not undergone FGM/C their prayers would not reach God and therefore they were not real
Muslims. This perception, according to the expert, could prove challenging in a community
with strong religious elements. 138
A 2020 study by Population Council noted that one of the main drivers for FGM/C in thecommunities of Bobo in Koury, of the Senoufo in Finkolo and of the Bwaba in Boura was
religion and what was perceived as religious pressure. 139
Education and financial situation of the motherAccording to the 2018 DHS, the prevalence of FGM/C in girls was only slightly affected by theeducational level of their mothers. In cases where the mother did not have any education,
72.6 % of the girls underwent FGM/C. In cases where the mother had attended primaryschool, the percentage was 73.7 % and where the mother had attended secondary or higher
education, the prevalence was 71.8 %. 140 The variations were a bit more significant dependingon which income quintile the mother belonged to. The highest percentage of girls aged 0-14
who underwent FGM/C had mothers who belonged to the fourth income quintile, so part of
the highest income quintiles, while the lowest had mothers who belonged to the averagequintile. 141
Mother having undergone FGM/C
Another driver of FGM/C was whether the women themselves had undergone FGM/C.
According to the 2018 DHS, circumcised women were more than three times likely to believethat FGM/C was required by religion (74 %) than non-circumcised ones (19 %). In addition,

135

To be noted that there were significant variations in the numbers of the respondents between regions. For
instance, in Sikasso 877 women and 671 men responded, while in Gao 84 and 74 respectively. Source: Mali,
INSTAT et al., Enquête Démographique et de Santé au Mali 2018, Août 2019, url, p. 355
136Mali, INSTAT and ICF, 2018 Mali Demographic and Health Survey Key Findings, August 2019, url, p. 15
137
The expert interviewed is a social scientist. Their area of focus are the links between gender, health andprotection issues with a regional focus on Sub-Saharan Africa and expertise on FGM. The expert has over ten
years of research experience and has written and published a number of relevant articles. The expert conducted
field study and interviews in Southern Mali in 2020 on FGM. The information provided here by the expert is basedon this field study and interviews they conducted, which did not include women not having undergone FGM
138
Interview with expert 1, 2 May 2022
139
Wouango, J. et al., When and how does law effectively reduce the practice of female genital mutilation/cutting?,
Population Council, 27 April 2020, url, p. viii, pp. 42-46
140Mali, INSTAT et al., Enquête Démographique et de Santé au Mali 2018, Août 2019, url, p. 353
141
Mali, INSTAT et al., Enquête Démographique et de Santé au Mali 2018, Août 2019, url, p. 353
31

EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

circumcised women were largely more in favour of the practice continuing (81 %) than noncircumcised ones (12 %). 142 For girls aged between 0-14 years, the prevalence significantly
varied based on whether their mother had undergone FGM/C: in cases where the mother had
undergone FGM/C, 80 % of the girls also underwent FGM/C, while when the mother had not,
15 % of the girls underwent the practice. 143
Social pressure
Another driver for FGM/C, according to the expert interviewed, was social pressure and theperception that links FGM/C to purity, ‘cleanliness’ for women, which can have an impact on
their marriage prospects. If a woman has not undergone FGM/C, her marriage prospects arelimited since most men want to marry a woman who has undergone FGM/C. 144 Social pressure
as a driver for FGM/C can also manifest in the treatment of a woman who has not undergone
FGM/C, by her husband’s other wives if she is in a polygamous relationship. In this case, awoman who has not undergone FGM/C could be mocked, laughed at and ridiculed by herhusband’s other wives. 145 The expert interviewed also indicated that an additional driver
linked to FGM was the belief that ‘this was how things were always done’ in the previous
generations until the present, meaning women had always undergone FGM/C in thesecommunities. 146

5.

Role of national and internationalorganizations and NGOs

No information could be found, in the limits of this report, on formal/state protection
mechanisms for the protection of women and girls against FGM/C such as shelters, or onreporting mechanisms against the practice.
According to 28 Too Many, there was a significant number of international as well as national
and local organisations active in Mali, with a focus ranging from general health andreproductive rights, gender equality and improving women’s well-being to more specialised
ones focusing on ending the practice of FGM/C. 147

142

Mali, INSTAT and ICF, 2018 Mali Demographic and Health Survey Key Findings, August 2019, url, p. 15
Mali, INSTAT et al., Enquête Démographique et de Santé au Mali 2018, Août 2019, url, p. 348
144
Interview with expert 1, 2 May 2022
145
Interview with expert 1, 2 May 2022
146
Interview with expert 1, 2 May 2022
147
28 Too Many, Country Profile: FGM in Mali, 2014, 2nd edition December 2020, url, pp. 79 - 89
143

32

FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION/CUTTING IN MALI

These international organisations included Équilibres & Populations, Helvetas Swiss
Intercooperation (HSI), IAMANEH Suisse, Plan International – Mali, Population Council – Mali,
Save The Children – Sweden, Tostan, UN Women, UNICEF Mali, UNICEF-UNFPA Joint
Programme – Mali (UNJP), USAID and other organisations. 148 The national and localorganisations included Aid for the Development of Traditional Medicine (AIDEMET),
Association Malienne pour le Suivi et L’Orientation des Pratiques Traditionnelles (AMSOPT),
Appui à la Promotion des Aides Familiales (APAF), Association pour le Progrès et la Défense
des Droits des Femmes Maliennes (APDF), Association of Support in the Development of
Activities of the Population (ASDAP), Association pour la promotion des Droits et pour le BienÊtre de l’Enfant et de la Famille (APSEF), Comité d’Action pour les Droits de l’Enfant et de laFemme (CADEF), Centre Djoliba, Développement Holistique Africa au Mali (DHA), Groupe deRecherche, d’Étude, de Formation Femme Action (GREFFA), Musow-Jigi, Nyeta-Sira, Réseau
de Lutte Contre les Mutilations Génitales Féminines (RML/MGF), Sini Sanuman and TAGNE. 149
In 2011, Mali joined the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme to Eliminate Female Genital
Mutilation (UNJP). 150 UNICEF and UNFPA, through the UNJP, aim to ‘tackle female genital
mutilation through interventions’, including collaboration with communities to transform social
norms from within, as well as collaboration with governments to promote laws prohibiting
FGM/C and to ensure girls’ access to services for child protection and sexual andreproductive health. 151
UNFPA and UNICEF noted that, as of the 1990s, the government of Mali started collaboratingwith women’s organisations in order to strengthen what was described as ‘the ongoingadvocacy’ against FGM/C. Despite the absence of a law against FGM/C, there were someadvocacy instruments against FGM/C, such as the 1999 circular letter by the Ministry of Healththat prohibited the practice of FGM/C in medical facilities. 152 28 Too Many observed in 2019that NGOs had been working in Mali to stop FGM/C since the 1960s. 153 However, issues likeinfrastructure, lack of sustainable funding, the ongoing conflict in northern Mali, and supportof FGM/C by some religious leaders continued to constitute challenges in stopping thepractice.154
UNICEF, in its 2021 Annual Report, highlighted that its campaign aiming to change harmful
gender-social norms, promote girls’ education and gender equality in education, managed toprevent 445 FGM/C cases in Mali. 155
UNFPA and UNICEF reported that in 2020, through the Joint Programme, 317 new village
communities in Kayes, Ségou and Koulikoro signed public declarations to eliminate FGM/C.

148

28 Too Many, Country Profile: FGM in Mali, 2014, 2nd edition December 2020, url, pp. 79 - 83
28 Too Many, Country Profile: FGM in Mali, 2014, 2nd edition December 2020, url, pp. 84 - 89
150
28 Too Many, Mali: The law and FGM, September 2018, url, p. 6
151
UNICEF, UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation, June 2021, url
152
UNFPA - UNICEF, Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation, FGM elimination and
COVID-19: Sustaining the momentum. Country Case Studies. Annual Report 2020, September 2021, url, p. 57
153
28 Too Many, Country Profile: FGM in Mali, 2014, 2nd edition December 2020, url, p. 72
154
28 Too Many, Country Profile: FGM in Mali, 2014, 2nd edition December 2020, url, p. 90
155
UNICEF, Country Office Annual Report 2021, Mali, n.d., url, p. 5
149

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EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

Each village community had put in place what was described as an ‘early warning alert andrespond’ community network in order to monitor cases of FGM/C following publicdeclarations. 156 Through the community networks in Kayes, Koulikoro, Sikasso, Ségou andBamako, 4 820 people (1 027 men, 2 791 women, 338 boys and 664 girls) participated inawareness-raising sessions. 157 In 2020, through these networks run by adolescent girls andyoung people, 165 girls aged 0-9 were prevented from undergoing FGM/C. 158

6.

Consequences and treatment of
women and girls refusing to undergo
FGM/C

The organisation End FGM reported in 2018 that, according to Plan International 159, ‘thedaughters of displaced families from the North (where FGM/C is not traditionally practiced) 160,
but who are living amongst host communities in the South (where FGM/C is common), werebeing ostracised due to not being circumcised. This, in turn, led to families from the Northfeeling pressure to perform FGM/C on their daughters.’ 161
In July 2017, the Belgian country of origin information research unit, Cedoca, on the topic of
the social consequences for girls who had not undergone FGM/C, noted that, according to amember of the organisation TAGNE, while the consequences on schooling and healthcare
access for girls who had not undergone FGM/C were [informal translation] ‘insignificant’, there
was the possibility of being socially stigmatised by some classmates. They added that insome villages, a girl who had not undergone FGM/C [informal translation] ‘will have serious
problems with her husband; she can't get married’ and that a woman who had not undergone
FGM/C [informal translation] ‘cannot become responsible for a family. To marry a non-excisedis to be rejected by society.’ 162
Similarly, Expert 1, interviewed on 2 May 2022 stated that with regards to marriage prospects,
if a woman has not undergone FGM/C, her marriage prospects could be limited since mostmen want to marry a woman who has undergone it. In some extreme cases, if a man marries a
156

UNFPA - UNICEF, Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation, FGM elimination and
COVID-19: Sustaining the momentum. Performance Report. Annual Report 2020, September 2021, url, p. 35
157
UNFPA - UNICEF, Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation, FGM elimination and
COVID-19: Sustaining the momentum. Performance Report. Annual Report 2020, September 2021, url, p. 37
158
UNFPA - UNICEF, Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation, FGM elimination and
COVID-19: Sustaining the momentum. Performance Report. Annual Report 2020, September 2021, url, p. 35, 37
159
The original report by Plan International containing this information could be found160
According to OECD, North in Mali consists of the regions of Tombouctou, Gao and Kidal. Source: OECD,
Northern Mali at a glance, n.d., url
161
End FGM European Network, Briefing - FGM in a humanitarian context, August 2018, url, p. 3
162
Belgium, Cedoca, Mali. Les mutilations génitales féminines (MGF), 18 Juillet 2017, url, p. 20

34

FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION/CUTTING IN MALI

woman who has not undergone FGM/C and he finds out after the marriage, he can repudiate
and return her to her parents, which is considered very shameful for the family. 163
A member of the organisation Malian Association for the Monitoring and Orientation of
Traditional Practices (Association malienne pour le suivi et l’orientation des pratiques
traditionnelles - AMSOPT) interviewed by Cedoca in 2017 indicated that a girl who had notundergone FGM/C was considered [informal translation] ‘impure, repugnant, she is treated aspromiscuous’ and is described with a derogatory term. They added that for a girl who had notundergone FGM/C, social integration was challenging because [informal translation] ‘she will
always be stigmatised and her chance of finding a husband is very slim because no man will
want a non-circumcised woman.’ 164
Malian journalist Seydou Koné noted that women not having undergone FGM/C faced socialpressure and the [informal translation] ‘weight of tradition’, making it difficult not to comply. 165
Additionally, the expert interviewed in May 2022, noted that a woman who has notundergone FGM/C and who is in a polygamous relationship may be mocked, laughed at andridiculed by her husband’s other wives. 166
Parents who refuse to have their children undergo FGM/C [informal translation] ‘risk being
excluded by other members of the extended family because they will have challenged theauthority of the family, challenged […] the union of the family unit’, AMSOPT noted. 167
Social pressure to undergo FGM/C
According to the expert interviewed in May 2022, one option for women who have notundergone FGM/C is to get married to someone outside their community, preferably who do
not practice FGM/C, in which case the absence of FGM/C should not be an ‘issue’.
Alternatively, they could go to large cities and move out of rural areas. During the expert’s
field study, it was reported that there were women who had not undergone FGM/C and had
already had children and who, because of the social pressure linked to FGM/C and of theperception of cleanliness and purity surrounding the practice of FGM/C, decided to undergo
FGM/C as adults, due to the social pressure they were subject. 168
Another example of treatment of women who have not undergone FGM/C was, according to
the expert interviewed, the case of a woman who reached out to healthcare workers to ask
for guidance. Her husband’s business was not successful, and he attributed that lack ofsuccess to the fact that his wife had not undergone FGM/C and the perception that she wastherefore not pure, thus it was bringing bad luck to his business. This treatment was causing
the woman distress and pushing her to undergo FGM/C. 169

163

Interview with expert 1, 2 May 2022
Belgium, Cedoca, Mali. Les mutilations génitales féminines (MGF), 18 Juillet 2017, url, p. 20
165
Koné, S., Au Mali, l’excision une plaie ouverte, 27 July 2014, url
166Interview with expert 1, 2 May 2022
167
Belgium, Cedoca, Mali. Les mutilations génitales féminines (MGF), 18 Juillet 2017, url, p. 20
168Interview with expert 1, 2 May 2022
169
Interview with expert 1, 2 May 2022
164

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EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

The organisation Plan International Mali documented the case of a young girl from aninternally displaced family in the Ségou Region. The girl had not undergone FGM/C and she
and her family were living with a host family. According to the source, the host family, whopracticed FGM/C, influenced the girl’s father, by telling him that ‘if it is not done, he will be an
outcast in the community’ and he was convinced that not having his daughter undergo
FGM/C ‘“would lead her to debauchery”’. Through external intervention, the girl’s father was
eventually convinced not to have her undergo FGM/C. 170

170

Plan International, Meet the man fighting FGM in Mali, n.d., url

36

FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION/CUTTING IN MALI

Annex 1: Bibliography
Oral sources
Interview with expert 1. Expert 1 has extensive experience conducting research, also in thefield, on the links between gender, health and protection. Their areas of focus include FGM/Cand Sub-Saharan Africa. Expert 1 prefers to remain anonymous for security reasons. EUAA
interviewed expert 1 on 2 May 2022.
Public sources
28 Too Many, About, n.d., https://www.28toomany.org/about-us/, accessed 10 April 2022
28 Too Many, Country Profile: FGM in Mali, 2014, 2nd edition December 2020,
https://www.28toomany.org/media/uploads/Country%20Research%20and%20Resources/Mali/mali_country_profile_v2_(december_2020).pdf, accessed 10 April 2022
28 Too Many, Mali: The law and FGM, September 2018,https://www.28toomany.org/media/uploads/Law%20Reports/mali_law_report_v2_(march_2019).pdf, accessed 30 March 2022
28 Too Many, Prevalence of FGM in Mali by region [Source: DHS 2018], n.d.,
https://www.28toomany.org/media/uploads/Country%20Research%20and%20Resources/Mali/mali_prevalence_map_by_region_(dhs_2018)_english.jpeg, accessed 30 April 2022
AI (Amnesty International), Mali. Crimes without convictions. Analysis of the judicial response
to conflict-related crimes in Central Mali, 13 April 2022, https://www.amnesty.org/en/wpcontent/uploads/2022/04/AFR3751922022ENGLISH.pdf, accessed 30 April 2022
Belgium, Cedoca, Mali. Les mutilations génitales féminines (MGF) [Mali. The female genital
mutilation (FGM)], 18 Juillet 2017,https://www.cgra.be/sites/default/files/rapporten/coi_focus_mali._les_mutilations_genitales_feminines_mgf_20170718.pdf, accessed 10 May 2022
Bertelsmann Stiftung, BTI (Bertelsmann Transformation Index) 2022 Country Report Mali, 23
February 2022, https://btiproject.org/fileadmin/api/content/en/downloads/reports/country_report_2022_MLI.pdf,
accessed 20 April 2022
Canada, ACDI/CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency), Mali: L’excision: un rite depassage en voie d’être dépassé [Mali: Female circumcision: a rite of passage in the process of
being outdated], 2011, cited in: 28 Too Many, Country Profile: FGM in Mali, 2014, 2nd edition
December 2020,
https://www.28toomany.org/media/uploads/Country%20Research%20and%20Resources/Mali/mali_country_profile_v2_(december_2020).pdf, accessed 10 April 2022

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EUROPEAN UNION AGENCY FOR ASYLUM

DHS (Demographic and Health Surveys) Program (the), Publications, Publications Search, filterby country, Mali, n.d.,
https://dhsprogram.com/search/index.cfm?bydoctype=publication&bycountry=25&_srchd=1,
accessed 10 April 2022
DW (Deutsche Welle), Mali: the rights of women put to the test by the religious, 12 January
2021, https://www.dw.com/fr/mali-le-droit-des-femmes-mis-%C3%A0-l%C3%A9preuve-par-lesreligieux/a-56206307, accessed 17 May 2022
End FGM European Network, Briefing - FGM in a humanitarian context, August 2018,https://www.endfgm.eu/content/documents/reports/End-FGM-EU-Briefing-FGM-in-aHumanitarian-Context.pdf, accessed 3 May 2022
Equality Now, Women’s Rights Organizations Challenge Mali’s Lack of Anti FGM Law at The
ECOWAS Court of Justice, 12 April 2021,
https://www.equalitynow.org/press_release/mali_fgm_ecowas_2021/, accessed 1 April 2022
FIDH (International Federation for Human Rights/Fédération internationale pour les droits
humains), AJM (Association des Juristes Maliennes), AMDH (Association Malienne des Droits
de l’Homme), APDF (Association pour le Progrès et la Défense des Droits des Femmes),
Association DEMESO, F&DH (Femmes & Droits Humains), GPCDF (Groupe Pivot Droit etCitoyenneté des Femmes) and WILDAF (Women in Law and Development in Africa),
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Annex 2: Terms of Reference
Introduction and Methodology
1.

General information on Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in Mali

2. The legal frameworka. National legislation: Constitution, Penal Codeb. International obligations
c. Implementation and enforcement of the law
d. National
programmes,
policies,
actionplans

against3. Statistics and prevalencea. Datasets
b. Prevalence and trends
c. Types/forms of FGM/C
d. FGM/C Performers
4. Societal attitudes and drivers
a. Societal attitudes towards FGM/C
b. Drivers
5. Role of national and international organisations and NGOs
6. Consequences and treatment of women and girls refusing to undergo FGM/C

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FGM/C

FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION/CUTTING IN MALI

doi: 10.2847/851217

45