Although many States have intensified their efforts towards eradication, the practice continues across the world in part due to “the clandestine nature of cross-border and transnational FGM,” it said.

“Female genital mutilation is part of a continuum of gender-based violence and has no place in a human rights-respecting universe,” said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk.

“It must be eliminated in all of its forms, and the gender stereotypes and patriarchal norms that anchor and perpetuate it uprooted.” 

Millions at risk

An estimated 4.3 million girls were at risk of being subjected to FGM in 2023, according to the report, which was based on in-depth desk research and submissions from States and civil society organizations around the world.

More than 600,000 women in the European Union are thought to be living with the consequences of FGM, which the World Health Organization (WHO) defines as “all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons”.

It is mainly carried out on young girls between infancy and age 15.

“The practice has no health benefits for girls and women and cause severe bleeding and problems urinating, and later cysts, infections, as well as complications in childbirth and increased risk of newborn deaths,” WHO added. 

‘Vacation cutting’ during school holidays 

The report said so-called “vacation cutting” is when families, particularly in Europe and North America, take their daughters to their countries and communities of origin to undergo FGM during school holidays.

In certain cases, girls are reportedly taken to countries that serve as “transnational FGM hubs”. In some cases, it is the “cutters” who move across borders to carry out the harmful procedure.

The report identified cross-border and transnational movements for the purposes of FGM, around the world. It said that girls and young women living in border communities are particularly vulnerable given border areas often host communities with cultural and ethnic ties that transcend national borders.

Address root causes

“States around the globe have made human rights commitments to eradicate FGM and to advance gender equality,” said Mr. Türk.

“They should ensure a joined-up global approach that addresses the root causes and the consequences of FGM, by among others harmonising their legal and policy frameworks and ensuring their implementation, if they are to truly meet their commitments to end this harmful practice everywhere.” 

The report called for greater regional and international cooperation towards eradication.

Measures suggested include allocating adequate resources towards the establishment and implementation of regional policy frameworks and cooperation agreements to address the cross-border scourge, and to support survivors.  

This #ThrowbackThursday, when the world celebrates the Day for Countering Hate Speech, we are looking back at how Nobel Laureate for Literature Wole Soyinka wielded powerful words to clobber online hate speech, call out religious extremism, and refute the notion that human rights are imposed by the West.

“Any suggestion that freedom of expression is a luxury of the West insults the historic struggles of individuals and communities all over the world for the dignity and wellbeing of their kind, for social fulfillment, equality of opportunity, equitable sharing of resources, access to shelter, nourishment and health,” said Mr. Soyinka, who spoke in 1993 at the World Conference on Human Rights, as a special guest of the UN Secretary-General.

In 1999, the novelist and playwright was appointed as one of seven of the first UN Goodwill Ambassadors to promote awareness of the World Conference Against Racism in 2001, which aimed to take concrete steps to fight racism, xenophobia, antisemitism and other forms of intolerance.

The famed writer who penned Chronicles from the Land of the Happiest People on Earth has since visited UN Headquarters on several occasions, including a memorable appearance at a debate on the culture of peace in 2012.

During that event, the online distribution of the anti-Islamic film Innocence of Muslims that triggered violent reactions around the world had featured prominently as an example of extremism and intolerance.

Futile to try and prevent ‘infantile’ insults to religion

To that, Mr. Soyinka presciently told ambassadors that it was futile to try and prevent “infantile” insults to religion from spreading through technology, but that the same technology should be used to “educate the ignorant”.

Religious extremism was holding the world to ransom by using religion as an excuse for crimes against humanity, said the author, who also served on a panel on peace and dialogue among cultures with the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Likening attacks on Islam at the time, that had resulted in violent protests and deaths in several countries, to “the infantile scribble we encounter on public toilets”, he urged people to ignore and “walk away from them” rather than answering with “equally infantile responses that are however incendiary and homicidal in dimension and largely directed against the innocent”.

Stern warning to world leaders

He also issued a stern warning to world leaders.

“The science fiction archetype of the mad scientist who craves to dominate the world has been replaced by the mad cleric, who can only conceive of the world in his own image,” said the writer.

“The sooner national leaders and authentic religious leaders understand this and admit that no nation has any lack of its own dangerous loonies – be they known as Ansar Dine of Mali or Terry Jones of Florida – the earlier they turn their attention to real issues of human priority.”

He concluded by saying it would be “pathetic to demand what cannot be guaranteed”, namely for all people to adhere to absolute tolerance all of the time.

“It is futile to reign in technology,” he said. “The solution is to use that very technology to correct noxious conceptions in the minds of the perpetrators of abuse and educate the ignorant.”

Wole Soyinka (second right) participates in a UNESCO-organized high-level debate entitled contemporary challenges and approaches to building a lasting culture of peace.

Stories from the UN Archive series

Drawn from almost 50,000 hours of historical footage and audio preserved by the UN Audiovisual Library, the series highlights moments across the first century of UN operations.

Catch up on UN Video’s Stories from the UN Archive playlist here and our accompanying series here.

Stay tuned next week for another dive into the past.

This was among the conclusions listed in the report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, released on Wednesday.

“Amid months of losses and despair, retribution and atrocities, the only tangible result has been compounding the immense suffering of both Palestinians and Israelis, with civilians, yet again, bearing the brunt of decisions by those in power,” the Commission said, stressing the impact on women and children.

Clear turning point

The brutal attack of 7 October by Hamas on communities in southern Israel marked a “clear turning point” for both Israelis and Palestinians and presents a “watershed moment” that can change the direction of the conflict, with a real risk of further solidifying and expanding the occupation, the Commission said.

For Israelis, the attack was unprecedented in scale in its modern history, when in one single day hundreds of people were killed and abducted, invoking painful trauma of past persecution not only for Israeli Jews but for Jewish people everywhere.

For Palestinians, Israel’s military operation and attack in Gaza have been the longest, largest and bloodiest since 1948, causing immense damage and loss of life and triggered for many Palestinians traumatic memories of the Nakba and other Israeli incursions.

Stop recurring cycles of violence

The Commission emphasized that both the attack in Israel and Israel’s subsequent military operation in Gaza should not be seen in isolation.

“The only way to stop the recurring cycles of violence, including aggression and retribution by both sides, is to ensure strict adherence to international law,” it stressed.

“That includes ending the unlawful Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory; discrimination, oppression and the denial of the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people, and guaranteeing peace and security for Jews and Palestinians.”

Deliberate targeting by Hamas

The Commission further noted that in relation to the attack of 7 October in Israel, members of the military wings of Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups, as well as Palestinian civilians who were directly participating in the hostilities, deliberately killed, injured, mistreated, took hostages and committed sexual and gender-based against civilians, including Israeli citizens and foreign nationals.

Such acts were also committed against members of the Israeli Security Forces (ISF), including soldiers considered hors de combat – such as injured soldiers.

“These actions constitute war crimes and violations and abuses of international humanitarian law and international human rights law,” it said.

The Commission also identified patterns indicative of sexual violence in several locations and concluded that Israeli women were disproportionally subjected to these crimes.

Failure to protect civilians

It also noted that Israeli authorities “failed to protect civilians in southern Israel on almost every front”, including failing to swiftly deploy sufficient security forces to protect civilians and evacuate them from civilian locations on 7 October.

In several locations, ISF applied the so-called ‘Hannibal Directive’ and killed at least 14 Israeli civilians. That Directive is reportedly a procedure to prevent capture of ISF members by enemy forces and was alleged to have been directed against Israeli civilians on 7 October.

“Israeli authorities also failed to ensure that forensic evidence was systematically collected by concerned authorities and first responders, particularly in relation to allegations of sexual violence, undermining the possibility of future judicial proceedings, accountability and justice,” the Commission added.

Violations by Israeli military

The independent Commission, established by the UN Human Rights Council, also concluded that, in relation to Israel’s military operations in Gaza, Israel committed war crimes, crimes against humanity and violations of international humanitarian and human rights laws.

The Commission further concluded that the immense numbers of civilian casualties and widespread destruction of civilian objects and vital civilian infrastructure were the “inevitable results of Israel’s chosen strategy for the use of force” during these hostilities, undertaken with intent to cause maximum damage, disregarding distinction, proportionality and adequate precautions, and thus unlawful.

“ISF’s intentional use of heavy weapons with large destructive capacity in densely populated areas constitutes an intentional and direct attack on the civilian population, particularly affecting women and children,” the Commission said, adding that this was confirmed by the substantial and increasing numbers of casualties, over weeks and months, with “no change in Israeli policies or military strategies”.

Recommendations

Among its recommendations, the Commission report called on the Government of Israel to immediately end attacks resulting in the killing and maiming of civilians in Gaza, end the siege on Gaza, implement a ceasefire, ensure that those whose property has been unlawfully destroyed receive reparations, and ensure that necessities crucial for the health and well-being of the civilian population immediately reach those in need.

It also called on the Government of the State of Palestine and the de-facto authorities in Gaza to ensure the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held in the enclave; ensure their protection, including from sexual and gender-based violence; report on their state of health and wellbeing; allow visits by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), contact with families and medical attention, and ensure their treatment in compliance with international humanitarian and human rights laws.

“Stop all indiscriminate firing of rockets, mortars and other munitions towards civilian populations,” it added.

Israel rejects findings

Upon publication of the report, Israel rejected the findings of the independent Commission.

In a press release, the country’s Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva reiterated accusations of “systematic anti-Israeli discrimination”, political bias and of drawing a “false equivalence” between Israeli soldiers and Hamas fighters.

About the Commission of Inquiry

The Commission of Inquiry was established by the UN Human Rights Council to, among other points, investigate, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in Israel, all alleged violations of international humanitarian law and abuses of international human rights law leading up and since 13 April 2021.

Its report will be presented to the Human Rights Council’s 56th session on 19 June 2024 in Geneva. The report is accompanied by two documents providing findings on the 7 October attack in Israel, and on Israel’s military operations and attacks in Gaza until the end of 2023.

Its members are not UN staff and do not draw a salary.