During an event on International Day against Female Genital Mutiliation (FGM) Campaigners report that dozens of cases in Iraqi Kurdistan indicate that FGM still persists, driven by secrecy, tradition, and some religious interpretations
By Dana Taib Menmy, The New Arab, 08.02.2026
(Picture: Panel during the event, by: Himn Abdulrahman)
More than a decade after legal bans and public awareness campaigns, female genital mutilation (FGM) continues to affect young girls in parts of Iraqi Kurdistan, according to data from a German–Iraqi NGO.
Wadi, an organisation campaigning against FGM in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq for nearly 20 years, reported 74 cases involving girls under 10 last year in the Raparin district of Sulaimaniyah province.
The announcement came during a panel discussion on February 5, a day before the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation.
The event, organised by Wadi and local groups including the Women and Children’s Awareness and Development Organisation in Iraq (ADWI) in Sulaimaniyah city, and attended by The New Arab, highlighted activists’ concerns about the ongoing practice despite strict laws and mounting evidence of harm.
Chiro Omar, a member of ADWI’s field team, said the cases were found in Rania and Qaladze districts.
“These numbers are deeply concerning,” she said, adding that the procedures were performed on children often too young to understand or report what happened.
The Kurdistan Region’s Anti-Domestic Violence Law criminalises FGM, with penalties of up to three years in prison, or a fine of up to five million Iraqi dinars (US$3,830), or both. However, campaigners say enforcement is weak, and the practice often occurs in secret.
Thomas von der Osten-Sacken, head of Wadi’s Iraq mission, said the group began its anti-FGM program in 2004, when few in the region discussed the issue.
“It took years to convince both local communities and the international community that FGM was not confined to Africa, but also existed in the Middle East,” he said to TNA.
He noted that before long-term campaigning, 60 to 80 per cent of women and girls in some areas of Iraqi Kurdistan had experienced FGM.
“The overall numbers have dropped dramatically,” he said, noting that the Garmian region and Halabja governorate were declared FGM-free four years ago. “But in areas such as parts of Erbil governorate, cases are still being reported.”
Osten-Sacken said the practice persists due to strong traditional and religious beliefs. He explained that some followers of the Shafi‘i school of Islamic law, common in the region, consider cutting girls a religious duty, similar to male circumcision.
“In reality,” he said, “this is about control over women and girls.”
Bakhan Jamal, director of ADWI, told TNA that FGM rates vary significantly across the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.
“Civil society organisations have played a major role in reducing the practice,” she said, “but declaring an area FGM-free does not mean the problem is eliminated. Rare cases still occur.”
She said ADWI identified 77 girls under 10 who had undergone FGM, usually performed by their mothers or close female relatives.
“Because it occurs within families, very few cases ever reach the courts,” Jamal said.
Jamal also warned of broader social effects of FGM, including marital conflict and polygamy. “We have documented cases where husbands have taken a second wife because their first wives, after being mutilated, lost sexual desire. This leads to serious problems at home and prompts husbands to marry a second wife,” she said.
Jamal noted that Iraq still lacks a federal law clearly banning FGM, and cooperation between the central government in Baghdad and NGOs remains limited.
“The practice is believed to be widespread in other parts of Iraq,” she said.
She concluded that ongoing awareness campaigns targeting mothers, midwives, and religious leaders are essential to ending FGM. “Without changing beliefs at the community level,” she said, “the law alone will not be enough.”
Wadi 
