# Female genital cutting in Somalia: how common it is, what the law says, and what is changing

> Female genital cutting (gudniinka) in Somalia: survey figures, the types, why families continue it, what the Constitution and religious rulings say, and change.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/society/female-genital-cutting/
Last checked: 2026-11-12
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## In short

Female genital cutting, called *gudniin* in Somali, is practised on almost every girl in Somalia. The Constitution prohibits it, and religious scholars in [Puntland](/en/states/puntland/) have ruled against it. This page sets out the numbers and the law.

## How common it is

The Somali Health and Demographic Survey of 2020 asked women aged 15 to 49 about cutting ([SHDS 2020, chapter 10](https://somalia.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/FINAL%20SHDS%20Report%202020_V7_0.pdf)):

| Finding | Share |
|---|---|
| Women aged 15 to 49 who have been cut | 99% |
| Pharaonic type (the most severe, with stitching) | 64% |
| Intermediate type | 12% |
| "Sunni" type (the least severe) | 22% |
| Women cut between ages 5 and 9 | 71% |
| Daughters aged 10 to 14 already cut | 76% |
| Women who believe it is a religious requirement | 72% |
| Women who want it to continue | 76% |

## The types

The survey used three definitions (SHDS 2020):

- **Sunni:** removal of the clitoral hood, with or without part or all of the clitoris.
- **Intermediate:** removal of the clitoris with partial or total removal of the inner labia.
- **Pharaonic:** removal of part or all of the outer genitals and stitching to narrow the opening.

The survey describes the practice as harmful, because it puts the health and well-being of women and girls at risk (SHDS 2020).

## Belief, schooling and wealth

Most women surveyed see cutting as a religious requirement. Education changes this: 74% of women with no schooling see it as a religious requirement, against 44% of women with higher education. Wealth matters too: 77% of the poorest women hold this belief, against 59% of the richest (SHDS 2020).

## What the law and scholars say

- **The Constitution.** Article 15(4) of the 2012 Provisional Constitution says: "Circumcision of girls is a cruel and degrading customary practice, and is tantamount to torture. The circumcision of girls is prohibited" ([28 Too Many, Somalia: the law and FGM, July 2018](https://www.orchidproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/somalia_law_report_july_2018.pdf)).
- **No criminal law yet.** As of 2018, there was no national law that set out a crime and a punishment for cutting (28 Too Many 2018).
- **Puntland.** In November 2013, 18 leading religious scholars in Puntland signed a fatwa banning all forms of cutting, on health and religious grounds (28 Too Many 2018). In June 2021 Puntland's cabinet approved a bill banning all forms, which UNFPA welcomed ([UNFPA Somalia](https://somalia.unfpa.org/en/news/unfpa-somalia-congratulates-puntland-passing-bill-prohibits-female-genital-mutilation-fgm)).

## Voices for change

Somali midwife Edna Adan Ismail, who was cut as a child, has said: "Islam forbids female circumcision" (see [Edna Adan Ismail](/en/people/edna-adan-ismail/)). Health workers abroad meet its effects in pregnancy and birth; see [caring for Somali patients](/en/society/caring-for-somali-patients/).

## Read more

- [Health in Somalia](/en/society/health-in-somalia/): the national health numbers.
- [Islam in Somalia](/en/society/islam-in-somalia/): faith and daily life.

## Sources

- [Federal Government of Somalia](/en/institutions/federal-government-of-somalia/) and UNFPA (2020). [Somali Health and Demographic Survey 2020](https://somalia.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/FINAL%20SHDS%20Report%202020_V7_0.pdf), chapter 10.
- 28 Too Many (2018). [Somalia: the law and FGM](https://www.orchidproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/somalia_law_report_july_2018.pdf).
- [UNFPA Somalia](/en/institutions/unfpa-somalia/) (2021). [UNFPA Somalia congratulates Puntland for passing a bill that prohibits FGM](https://somalia.unfpa.org/en/news/unfpa-somalia-congratulates-puntland-passing-bill-prohibits-female-genital-mutilation-fgm).

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