Today, on International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), we stand with women and girls around the world who are demanding bodily autonomy, safety, and dignity.

FGM is a human rights violation. It is violence. And it persists not because it is inevitable, but because power is repeatedly placed over girls’ bodies and futures. At a moment of global backlash against women’s rights, the fight to end FGM remains as urgent as ever.

This urgency is painfully real. In The Gambia, two infant girls recently bled to death after undergoing FGM, sparking national outrage and igniting the current legal battle threatening to overturn the country’s 2015 ban. These deaths were preventable. They are a stark reminder that when laws are weakened or questioned, girls pay with their lives

Through the Efua Dorkenoo Fund to End FGM, Frontline Women’s Fund supports grassroots organizations leading this work from the frontlines. Named in honor of the late Efua Dorkenoo, a pioneering African feminist and one of the world’s foremost advocates for ending FGM, the Fund backs survivor-centered, community-led efforts to challenge harmful traditional practices, defend legal protections, and support girls at risk.

Our grantees are proving that change is possible. They are advocating for laws, teaching workshops in communities, and providing direct support to survivors. Through these efforts, they are shifting norms and protecting girls’ futures often in the face of enormous resistance.

And that future is already taking shape.

On Zero Tolerance Day, we honor the activists, survivors, and communities who refuse to accept violence as tradition and who continue, every day, to build a world where girls are free to learn, grow, and lead.

Join us. Support the Efua Dorkenoo Fund. Stand for zero tolerance.