Prevalence of female genital mutilation/cutting in Norway

DAMVAD, 2014. Utbredelse av kjønnslemlestelse i Norge. Oslo: Nasjonalt kunnskapssenter om vold og traumatisk stress. (Rapport).

In 2013 there were 56,232 women and girls in Norway who have emigrated from countries where it is known that female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) occurs.  

A minimum estimate of the number of women in Norway subjected to FGM/C are 14,830 women. This is calculated based on the assumption that the probability that a woman has undergone FGM/C equals the national prevalence in her country of origin if she immigrated to Norway after the age of 15. The probability of FGM/C is assumed to be zero for those who immigrated to Norway before they turned 15. 

Based on common age for FGM/C and prevalence FGM/C, based on the common age in their parents’ country of origin.    in the women’s country of origin it is likely that 17,306 women and girls in Norway have been sub- jected to FGM/C prior to immigration. This repre- sents half of the women from countries where it is known that FGM/C occurs and where the preva- lence is known. In addition, it constitutes 6.1 percent of all immigrant women/girls living in Norway in 2013. 

There were 297 immigrant girls, who in 2013 were too young to be subjected to FGM/C, according to the common age in their country of origin. I addition, 1,159 girls were at the age where FGM/C usually occurs in their country of origin and 4,763 women and girls have grown up in Norway and are now older than the common age. 

There were 11,773 Norwegian-born women and girls in Norway in 2013, whose parents are from countries where FGM/C occurs. Of these, 3,925 girls were in the age where FGM/C usually occurs in their parents’ country of origin. Further, 3,563 were older than the common age in their parents’ country of origin and 2,565 were still too young for FGM/C, based on the common age in their parents’ country of origin