According to the government of Burkina Faso, cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) have dropped almost 50 percent over the past ten years since the practice was officially banned in 1996. Prior to the law's passage, it was believed that 80% of Burkina Faso’s women had experienced some form of FGM. An estimated 45% of girls in Burkina Faso are still subjected to the practice, primarily in the north.
Compiled from: "Burkina Faso succeeds in reducing female genital mutilation," Agence France-Presse, September 2007.