In Egypt, the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) is occurring at lower rates. The Egyptian government has been attempting to halt this process since 1996, when FGM was outlawed in hospitals. However, the practice continued legally elsewhere, performed by certified practitioners. In a 2006 survey, 85 percent of the girls interviewed had undergone FGM following the hospital ban.
In response to the persistently high rates of FGM, the Egyptian government banned FGM completely in June 2007. Since then, the annual rates of FGM have dropped. Before the ban, 11.5 percent were subjected to FGM in 2005. After the ban, 7.7 percent had undergone the procedure in 2009. Experts on the topic believe that the successful decline in FGM is in part due to increased public awareness about the issue.
Compiled from: Female Genital Mutilation Becomes Less Common in Egypt, IGWG (18 August 2011).