Is FGM banned in South Africa?
Specifically banned
FGM is specifically illegal under criminal law provision.
South Africa is one of 69 countries classified “Specifically banned” for female genital mutilation — 73% of the 95 with data. (Also searched as FGM.)
Source
- Last checked
- 7 July 2026
- How it was classified
- Classified by a language model from the source text, then checked against hand-verified reference countries.
Nearby countries
- Zimbabwe
- Specifically banned FGM is specifically criminalized in Zimbabwe under a dedicated law provision.
- Zambia
- Specifically banned FGM is specifically criminalized in Zambia under a dedicated law provision.
- Malawi
- No specific ban Malawi has no specific legal ban on FGM as of March 2020.
- Tanzania
- Specifically banned Tanzania has a specific criminal law provision prohibiting FGM since 1998.
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Specifically banned FGM is specifically illegal in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- Uganda
- Specifically banned Uganda has a specific national anti-FGM law prohibiting FGM, including cross-border cases.
Other laws in South Africa
- Abortion
- Legal on request
- Suicide Laws
- Not a crime
- Surrogacy
- Altruistic only
Every law in South Africa → · Where is female genital mutilation banned? →
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.