Djibouti - 28 Too Many (part of Orchid Project)

Key Findings

The prevalence of FGM in women aged 15-49 is 93.1%.

51% of women aged 15-49 believe that FGM should stop.

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Geography

FGM prevalence in the Djibouti region is 92.9%; in all other regions, it is 94.9%

Age

FGM is most likely to take place between the ages of 5 and 9

Type

Type III (sewn closed) is the most common type of FGM practised

Agent

More than three-quarters of FGM is performed by traditional practitioners; about 20% by medical personnel

Development Indicators

Population

1,003,096 (as at 13 September 2021), with a 1.33% growth rate (2021 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

50 deaths per 1,000 live births (2019)

Maternal Mortality Rate

248 deaths per 100,000 live births (2017)

Literacy

It is not known what percentage of the population aged 15 and over are literate

Prevalence of FGM

The prevalence of FGM among women aged 15-49 in the capital region of Djibouti is 92.9%. The prevalence in the rest of the country is 94.9%. Women aged 15-49 who live in rural areas are more like to undergo FGM (95.5%) than those who live in urban areas (93.1%).

The prevalence of women aged 15-49 who have at least one daughter who has undergone FGM is 48.5%.

In 2006, the prevalence of FGM for women aged 15-49 was measured to be 93.1%. In 2002 it was measured to be 98.1%. However, due to the different methods used in each survey, this may not represent a real drop in prevelance.

Trends in FGM Prevalence

Breaking down the most recent data by age group shows that the prevalence for women aged 45-49 is 94.4%, while for the youngest age group is 89.5%. This suggests that prevalance is lower among younger women, although more data would be required to confirm this.

FGM Legislation in Djibouti

The Djibouti Government passed legislation in 1995 prohibiting FGM (Article 333 of the Penal Code). In 2009, Law No. 55 introduced further amendments, including criminalising the failure to report FGM to the authorities. Evidence suggests, however, that, due to ineffective implementation of the law, there have been no convictions in Djibouti to date.

See Djibouti: The Law and FGM for more detail.

For the French translation, see Djibouti: La Loi et Les MGF.