On September 16, WilmerHale, King & Spalding and The Vavengers released a groundbreaking report at the United Nations General Assembly that focuses on the health and legal disparities facing survivors of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) around the world. The report, titled “Global Health and Legal Landscape Report on Female Genital Mutilation,” goes country by country, reviewing the legal frameworks, healthcare access and support systems available to FGM survivors and proposes actionable solutions to improve survivor care and global accountability.

Commissioned by The Vavengers—a UK-based, female-, migrant-, and survivor-led charity tackling FGM and violence against women and girls—the first-of-its-kind, over 550 pages long study was first discussed at the UN Commission on the Status of Women earlier this year. It is the result of a six-month pro bono effort, with nearly $4 million in donated legal hours, and aims to serve as a resource for governments, civil society and healthcare providers worldwide.

“We were honored and privileged to have worked with The Vavengers and King & Spalding on this report,” said WilmerHale Partner Marleen Krueger. “It provides the data, legal analysis and healthcare mapping that policymakers and advocates need to combat FGM.”

FGM refers to procedures that intentionally alter or cause injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. According to the World Health Organization, roughly 230 million girls and women alive today have been subjected to FGM, primarily in parts of Africa, the Middle East and Asia. But due to global migration, FGM now affects communities in Europe, North America and Australia. FGM is also reported to occur among certain indigenous groups in South and Central America. 

“Every 12 minutes, a girl child or woman dies from injuries sustained from Female Genital Mutilation,” the report states. “It is a form of modern slavery, torture, human rights violation and Violence Against Women and Girls. FGM also leaves women and girls scarred with both physical and psychological trauma, if they survive this violent act.”

In some countries, FGM is still perceived as a religious obligation, making it difficult to challenge. But the report emphasizes that FGM is a symptom of broader systemic inequalities, including gender discrimination, poverty, limited access to education and healthcare, and the marginalization of migrant and rural communities. 

It calls for a shift away from single-issue advocacy, which often treats FGM in isolation, toward integrated public health, legal, and economic strategies that address the root causes and interconnected challenges survivors face.

Among its findings:

• Legal Frameworks and Enforcement Gaps: Many countries have laws criminalizing FGM, but enforcement is inconsistent and often ineffective. In The Gambia, only two prosecutions have occurred since 2015, with the first conviction secured in 2023. In parts of Europe, laws have existed for decades without a single successful prosecution, highlighting a gap between legislation and enforcement.
• Healthcare Access and Survivor Support: Survivor-centered healthcare is severely limited across the globe. Most countries where FGM is known to be perpetrated offer neither clitoral reconstructive surgery nor specialist mental healthcare for survivors.
• Data Collection and Reporting Protocols: Mandatory screening and reporting protocols for FGM are absent in most jurisdictions, limiting governments’ ability to understand the true scale of FGM and respond effectively. The report advocates for routine health assessments that include FGM screening and mandatory reporting by healthcare and education professionals.
• Recommended Reforms: The report proposes a series of concrete reforms to end FGM and improve survivor care. These include implementing mandatory screening and reporting protocols, integrating reconstructive surgery and specialist mental health services into public health systems and ensuring survivor-centered care is embedded across legal, healthcare and social service sector.

WilmerHale first partnered with The Vavengers in December last year. WilmerHale's team included Partner Marleen Krueger, Senior Associates Milosz Palej and Erica Li, and former Senior Associate Caitlin Anyon-Peters.

“We would like to express our sincere appreciation to both King & Spalding and WilmerHale for making this incredible work possible and for showing that commercial businesses can be part of global changemaking by the power of pro bono work and strong NGO partnerships,” Sema Gornall, the Vavengers’ Chief Executive Officer, writes in the report.