The practice of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) still affects almost the entire female population of Somalia, according to a recent query

response published by the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA). The query was initiated to provide information for the assessment of applications for international protection by nationals from Somalia.

The Agency coordinates efforts among Member States to develop a common analysis on the situation in specific countries of origin and guidance notes to assist Member States in the assessment of relevant applications for international protection. The results of this analysis form the Country Guidance documents.

According to the report Country Guidance: Somalia, published in June 2022, FGM/C amounts to persecution and it may be for reasons of membership of a particular social group or religion. Therefore, these documents can be used for the determination of refugee status as defined in the Geneva Convention.

The research has proved rather challenging, owing to the sensitivity of the subject and the scarcity of information. The analysis shows that this custom is still widely practiced in Somalia. According to a 2020 survey of the Federal Government of the Republic of Somalia, 99.2 % of Somali women aged 15–49 had been subjected to FGM/C. Some interviewees, who are community members, stated that the practice of FGM/C was carried out on girls aged 6-15.