Togo28 Too Many

Key Findings

The prevalence of FGM in women aged 15–49 is 4.7%.

94.7% of women and 95.6% of men believe that FGM should be stopped.

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Geography

The region with the highest prevalence is Centrale, at 17.4%; the lowest is Maritime in the south, at 0.4%

Age

The available data indicates that cutting is most common in girls under 5 and girls aged 10–14

Type

‘Cut, flesh removed’ is the most common type of FGM practised

Agent

Almost all FGM is carried out by traditional practitioners

Development Indicators

Population

7,692,890 (as at 26 June 2017), with a 2.66% growth rate (2016 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

52 deaths per 1,000 live births (2015)

Maternal Mortality Rate

368 deaths per 100,000 live births (2015)

Literacy

66.5% of the total population aged 15 and over can read/write

Prevalence of FGM

The regions in Togo with the highest FGM prevalence are Centrale (17.4% of women aged 15–49), Savanes (10.1%) and Kara (8.2%). The prevalence in Lomé, Maritime and Plateaux is under 2%. Women aged 15–49 who live in rural areas are slightly more likely (5.7%) to undergo FGM than those who live in urban areas (3.4%).

Muslim women aged 15-49 are far more likely to undergo FGM (22%) than women of other religions, among all of whom the prevalence of FGM is under 2%.

The ethnic group with the highest prevalence of FGM is the Autre Togolais, at 57.5%. There is a large disparity between this group and the other ethnic groups in Togo, which are all under 8%, although the data is very limited for some groups.

94.7% of women and 95.6% of men aged 15–49 believe that FGM should be stopped.

Trends in FGM Prevalence

Breaking down the most recent data by age group shows that the prevalence for women aged 45–49 is 10.2%, while for the youngest age group this has fallen to 1.8%. Despite the fact that a small proportion of women may be cut after the age of 15, the data suggests a trend towards lower prevalences among younger women.

FGM Legislation in Togo

The main law relating to FGM in Togo is Law No. 98-016, dated 17 November 1998, on the prohibition of female genital mutilation. Law No. 2015-010, the new Penal Code of Togo, dated 24 November 2015, also criminalises the practice of FGM. However, there is a lack of publicly available information on any prosecutions to date; law enforcement appears to be weak and there is an absence of reporting and recording of FGM cases.

See Togo: The Law and FGM for more details.

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