The Law and FGM/C: United Arab Emirates

No official study on the prevalence of FGM/C in the UAE has been conducted, but academic studies indicate varying rates of FGM/C occurring in the UAE, from 34% in a 2011 study, to 41.4% in a 2020 study. Among women who had been cut in the 2020 study, only 13.7% of their daughters had undergone FGM/C, indicating a possible decline among the younger generation.

There is no specific law relating to criminalisation of those who perform FGM/C. However, some provisions of the UAE Federal Decree Law (2021) Promulgating the Crimes and Penalties Law, and the Federal Law of Child Rights Law (2016), can be read as addressing and prohibiting FGM/C. There is also the Federal Decree Law Concerning Medical Liability (2016) which addresses professional medical behaviour that can be read as prohibiting the performance of FGM/C by medical professionals working in public health facilities.