female

genital
mutilation
A global concern
2024 Update
COVER PHOTO:
© UNICEF/UNI77854/Holt

Asiya Abdu waits for an antenatal visit in

Amibara, Ethiopia. As a child, she underwent
female genital mutilation, which can cause
complications during pregnancy and delivery.
T
hirteen-year-old Salamatu Jalloh had her whole life to look forward to. But in January 2024, her lifeless
body was found wrapped in a pink and blue shroud on an earthen floor in a village in northwest Sierra
Leone. She and two other girls, Adamsay Sesay, 12, and Kadiatu Bangura, 17, are presumed to have
bled to death after participating in a secret Bondo Society initiation into womanhood. The weeks-long
ceremony began with a sense of excitement and anticipation – a rare occasion in this rural community to celebrate
girls. But at its core was a violent act: the cutting and removal of the girls’ external genitalia.

Around the world, over 230 million girls and permanent alteration to the genitalia – a largely available on the status of female genital
women have survived female genital mutilation, symbolic procedure sometimes performed in a mutilation. It narrates through numbers the
known as FGM, but live with its consequences. doctor’s office or hospital. Regardless of the type stories of million of girls and women who,
Beyond excruciating pain and severe bleeding, or consequences, FGM is a violation of universal unlike the three adolescents in Sierra Leone,
long-term physical and psychological damage human rights principles. survived the practice and the millions more
can result from the procedure, including who remain at risk.
infection, infertility and post-traumatic stress Several countries are making tremendous
disorder. Many girls and women who have strides in reducing the practice of female
The international community and member
been cut also face childbearing complications, genital mutilation. Still, the fragility of such
states of the United Nations have committed to
including postpartum haemorrhage, stillbirth progress cannot be overstated. Assaults on
creating a world in which no girl dies of female
and infant mortality. women’s and girls’ rights in countries around
genital mutilation, and no girl has to endure
the globe have meant that hard-won gains are
its consequences, by pledging to eliminate
The ages at which girls typically experience in danger of being lost. Advancements in some
genital mutilation extend from infancy to countries have stalled or even been reversed FGM by 2030 in the Sustainable Development
adolescence, and the types of cutting performed due to changing ideologies as well as the fallout Goals. Ending this harmful practice is possible,
also vary. In the most severe form, infibulation, from instability and conflict, which can disrupt as the following pages show. But it will take
the cut edges of the labia are sewn together, services to support those who have been cut and sustained and concerted engagement with
and must be reopened for sexual intercourse programmes aimed at preventing the practice. practising communities along with an in-depth
or childbirth. In contrast, the genitals can be understanding of the complex social and
pricked or nicked, drawing blood, but with no This publication provides the latest data cultural forces that fuel its continuation.

1
 Fig. 1: Number of girls and women of all ages who have undergone female genital mutilation

Over 230 million

girls and women Over 144 million Over 80 million Over 6 million
IN AFRICA IN ASIA IN THE MIDDLE EAST
worldwide
have undergone
female genital
mutilation
Around 4 million girls are
subjected to the practice
every year.

2
 Botege Sancha (left) supports
young girls in Silt’e, Ethiopia,
and intervened to prevent
Between 1-2 million Mekiya Mude from undergoing
female genital mutilation.
IN SMALL PRACTISING COMMUNITIES AND
DESTINATION COUNTRIES FOR MIGRATION IN
THE REST OF THE WORLD

Female genital mutilation occurs in countries and isolated

communities around the globe.1 Thanks to large-scale data
collection, much is known about the extent of the practice
in countries most affected. In other countries, however, the
precise number of cases remains unknown.

Data are not routinely collected in countries where the

practice is limited to small communities, or in other
countries that are destinations for migrants. Still,
considering the potential size of such populations – and
the damage the practice can inflict – it is important to take
them into account.

© UNICEF/UN0410899/Ayene

3
The prevalence Fig. 2: Percentage of girls and women aged 15 to 49 years who have undergone female genital mutilation

of female genital Somalia

Guinea 95
99

mutilation varies Djibouti

Mali 89
90

greatly across Egypt

Sudan
87
87

countries, with Sierra Leone

Eritrea
83
83

the highest Gambia

Ethiopia 65
73

levels found in Mauritania

Burkina Faso 56
64

Somalia, Guinea Guinea-Bissau

Côte d'Ivoire 37
52

and Djibouti Chad

Liberia 32
34

Senegal 25
Central African Republic 22
Yemen 19
Nigeria 15
The opening section of this report Kenya 15
presents a global estimate of the Maldives 13
number of girls and women affected by Benin 9
female genital mutilation (see Figure 1). United Republic of Tanzania 8
The remaining pages focus on the 31 Iraq 7
countries that have collected nationally
Togo 3
representative and internationally
comparable data on the practice. Such Ghana 2
data allow for relevant analysis of the Niger 2
prevalence of female genital mutilation, Cameroon 1
the circumstances under which it is Uganda 0.3
carried out, and communities’ attitudes
towards the practice.

4
A social worker in Mali counsels a girl who
underwent female genital mutilation.

© UNICEF/UNI74726/Pirozzi

5
In some countries, Fig. 3: Percentage distribution of girls aged 10 to 14 years (or 15 to 19 years*) who have undergone female genital mutilation,
by age at cutting

female genital 0 to 4 years 5 to 9 years 10 to 14 years 15+ years Don’t know/ missing

mutilation is Yemen*
Mauritania
performed very Nigeria
Senegal

early in life, Ghana*

Most before age 5

Guinea-Bissau

while in others Mali

Gambia

it occurs during
Niger*
Eritrea*
Burkina Faso
adolescence Côte d'Ivoire
Ethiopia
Iraq*
Every year, over 2 million girls
are subjected to female genital
mutilation before their fifth Djibouti

Most between
ages 5 and 9
Guinea
birthday. In many contexts, Sudan
the procedure is performed in Chad*
Somalia*
the first days or weeks of life,
leaving only a brief span of
time for possible intervention. United Republic of Tanzania*

Most in adolescence
Liberia*
Sierra Leone*
Central African Republic*
Kenya*
Benin*
Egypt*
0 20 40 60 80 100

6
The type of Fig. 4: Percentage distribution of girls aged 10 to 14 years (or 15 to 19 years*) who have undergone female genital mutilation, by type

female genital Genital area sewn closed

Sudan*
Cut, flesh removed Cut, no flesh removed/ nicked Other type Type not determined/ don’t know/ missing

mutilation Somalia*

performed varies Eritrea*

Ghana*

by country, Chad*
Guinea-Bissau

BUT most girls Sierra Leone*

Kenya*

experience Gambia*
Côte d'Ivoire
cutting with Central African Republic*
Niger*
removal United Republic of Tanzania*
Nigeria
of flesh Djibouti
Benin*
Every year, over half a million Iraq*
girls experience the most Indonesia**
Yemen*
severe form of female genital 0 20 40 60 80 100
mutilation, in which the genital
Genital area sewn closed Not sewn closed Type not determined/ don’t know/ missing
area is sewn closed.
Mauritania
Guinea
Mali
Burkina Faso
Ethiopia
Senegal
0 20 40 60 80 100
Notes: For Indonesia (**), the reference population are all daughters of girls and women surveyed. The chart is shown in two sections, since those in the lower group of countries had limited data on the
type of cutting.

7
In all countries Fig. 5: Percentage distribution of girls aged 10 to 14 years (or 15 to 19 years*) who have undergone female genital mutilation,
by practitioner

except Sudan Doctor Nurse/ midwife/ other health worker Traditional circumciser Other traditional practitioner Others Don’t know/ missing

and Egypt, Sudan

traditional Egypt*
Indonesia**
practitioners Guinea
Nigeria
perform Kenya*

most cases of Djibouti

Ghana*

female genital Chad*

Iraq*
mutilation Yemen*
United Republic of Tanzania*
In total, 66 per cent Ethiopia
of recently cut girls Mali
Central African Republic*
experienced FGM at the Côte d'Ivoire
hands of health personnel. Burkina Faso
The countries in which Benin*
medicalization of the Mauritania
practice is most Sierra Leone*
Eritrea*
common are also home Gambia
to a large share of the Guinea-Bissau
burden of the practice. Senegal

0 20 40 60 80 100
Note: For Indonesia (**), the reference population are all daughters of girls and women surveyed.

8
Chekoi Margret is a former practitioner of female genital
mutilation who stopped after witnessing girls dying from
the procedure. She is now a vocal opponent of the practice
in her community in Nakapiripirit District, Uganda. © UNICEF/UNI424509/Tibaweswa
Fig. 6: Percentage of girls and women aged 15 to 49 years who have undergone female genital mutilation and think the practice should stop, and percentage of boys and men aged
15 to 49 years who live in a household with at least one person who has undergone female genital mutilation and think the practice should stop

91 92
89
Girls and women 87 88
86 85 85
83 82 83
Boys and men 80 81 80
79
74 75 74
71
65 65
61
58 57 57
54 54
51
49
44
40 39 38
32 33 33
31 31 31 30 30 31 29
24 23 22
19
13

Niger

Benin
Mali

Iraq
Guinea

Eritrea

Liberia

Togo
Chad

Ghana
Djibouti
Egypt

Kenya

Uganda
Nigeria
Sudan

Ethiopia
Gambia
Somalia

Senegal
Yemen

Cameroon
Mauritania

Maldives
Côte d'Ivoire
Sierra Leone

Guinea-Bissau

Burkina Faso

Central African Republic

United Republic of Tanzania

FGM prevalence:
Above 80% 51%-80% 26%-50% 10%-25% Less than 10%
Notes: Countries are grouped according to their prevalence of female genital mutilation, defined as the percentage of girls and women aged 15 to 49 years who have undergone the practice. For females in Uganda, an older source is used for this figure compared to that used for other
figures, since the latest source did not collect data on attitudes. For males, the countries presented in this chart include the subset that have collected data on boys’ and men’s attitudes towards female genital mutilation and for which the available data allowed for cross-referencing
men’s attitudes with the FGM status of their household members. Due to data availability, data on boys and men are from an older source than data for girls and women for the following countries, and thus should not be considered directly comparable: Benin, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire,
Sierra Leone and Togo.

10
In practising communities,
a large share of both
women and men oppose
the continuation of
female genital mutilation
In total, 400 million people – two thirds of the
population – in practising countries in Africa
and the Middle East say they want the practice
to end.

Meaza Garedu advocates against

female genital mutilation in her village in
Cheha District, Ethiopia, after undergoing
the practice herself at age 10.
© UNICEF/UNI77836/Holt
In many countries, communities are Fig. 7: Percentage of adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 years who have undergone female
genital mutilation

moving towards abandonment of COUNTRIES WITH THE STRONGEST PROGRESS

the practice, although progress 100
Sierra Leone

takes decades; in other countries, 90

levels have stagnated 80

Burkina Faso
Ethiopia
Where there are declines, the pace has increased in recent years:
Half of the progress over the last 30 years has been achieved in the 70
last decade.
60
Changes are also evident in the circumstances in which female Liberia
genital mutilation is carried out. It is being performed at 50
increasingly younger ages, closing the window of opportunity for
intervention and prevention. Today, health personnel are more 40 Maldives
likely than in the past to be the ones performing the procedure.
30 Nigeria
Kenya
20 Benin
United Republic
of Tanzania
10 Iraq

0
30 years ago Today

12
COUNTRIES WITH SOME PROGRESS COUNTRIES WITH NO PROGRESS
100 Guinea 100 Somalia
Egypt
Djibouti
Eritrea
90 Sudan 90 Mali

80 80
Mauritania
Gambia
70 70

60 60

50 50
Guinea-Bissau

Côte d’Ivoire
40 Chad 40

30 30
Central African
Senegal
Republic
Yemen
20 20

10 10

0 0
30 years ago Today 30 years ago Today
Notes: The chart on the left includes countries in which prevalence has been halved and/or has dropped by 30 percentage points in the past 30 years. The chart in the middle includes countries with a significant decline in prevalence, but that do not meet the criteria for the first
category. The chart on the right includes countries without a significant decline in the practice. All three charts exclude countries with a national prevalence below 5 per cent.

13
In 2030, if current Fig. 8: Percentage of adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 years who have undergone female genital mutilation,
projected value in 2030

trends continue, 98

female genital mutilation 88

will still be widespread

81

73
in many countries 64
70

As some countries progress towards

abandoning the practice, female genital
47 48
mutilation will become increasingly 43
45
41
concentrated around pockets of resistance,
where no progress is yet evident.
28
22
20 20
15 16 16
13
7
2 2 4
0.0 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 1 1
Cameroon

Uganda

Maldives

Ghana

Benin

Togo

Niger

Iraq

United Republic of Tanzania

NIgeria

Kenya

Central African Republic

Liberia

Côte d’Ivoire

Yemen

Burkina Faso

Senegal

Chad

Ethiopia

Sierra Leone

Guinea-Bissau

Eritrea

Mauritania

Egypt

Djibouti

Gambia

Sudan

Mali

Guinea

Somalia
Notes: Projections are calculated on the basis of a continuation of observed progress in each country over the latest 10-year period with data. In cases where the change over this period is not statistically significant, these projections may overestimate the
amount of progress that can be expected by 2030.

14
Though the pace of Fig. 9: Percentage of adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 years who have undergone female genital mutilation in
countries making progress over the past 30 years, observed and projected

progress is picking up, 50

the rate of decline 46

would need to be
27 times faster to 40
40

meet the target of 33

eliminating female 30
30

genital mutilation 27

by 2030
20

10

0
1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030

Observed Projected at the rate observed in the past 30 years

Projected at the rate observed in the past 10 years Required for elimination by 2030

Note: See Technical notes for details on the calculation of projections.

15
Fig. 10: Classification of countries according to their progress towards reaching the target of eliminating female genital mutilation by 2030

Target achieved On track to achieve Acceleration is required. Progress must be:

before 2030 target by 2030 At least 2 times faster At least 5 times faster

2030 2030 2030

2030
Cameroon Benin Iraq Burkina Faso
Ghana Togo Nigeria Kenya
Uganda Niger United Republic of Tanzania Ethiopia
Maldives Eritrea
Sierra Leone

At least 10 times faster At least 20 times faster At least 100 times faster No progress to date,
must overcome stagnation

2030 2030 2030 2030

Central African Republic Djibouti Guinea Somalia

Liberia Mauritania Mali
Egypt Sudan Gambia
Chad Guinea-Bissau
Yemen Senegal

16
Eliminating female A girl at her school in
Amudat District, Uganda,

genital mutilation by attends a mentoring

programme for students
affected by harmful
2030 will require bending practices such as child
marriage and female
the curve, in some genital mutilation.

countries very sharply

The practice of female genital mutilation is

declining, but not fast enough. If each country
were able to match the pace of its best-
performing peer, over a million cases could
be averted each year. Still, even this level of
achievement would leave millions more at
risk of cutting. In some countries, progress
would need to be 10 times faster than the best
progress observed in history in order to reach
the target by 2030. © UNICEF/UN0421415/Abdul
A CLOSER LOOK: WHERE PROGRESS MEETS RESISTANCE

The Somali community in Kenya Fig. 11: Percentage of adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 years who have undergone female genital mutilation, by province and
by ethnic group
continues to PRACTISE female genital
mutilation at near-universal levels, 100

in contrast to trends in the rest 80

of the country 60

40
Some countries have achieved tremendous progress in
reducing levels of female genital mutilation, while others
have advanced more slowly or stagnated (see Figure 8). The 20
same pattern is evident within many countries, with some
population groups moving towards abandonment of the 0 1 977 1 992 2007 2022
practice even as others continue on as before.

Trends are often localized by geographic areas and among 100

ethnic groups. This is not unexpected, since the reasons
for upholding the practice often revolve around cultural
80
significance, social acceptance and marriageability. In other
words, families weigh heavily the expectations of their
communities when deciding whether or not to cut their 60
daughters. Where social expectations continue to require a
girl to be cut to gain acceptance in the community, pockets 40
of resistance can be strong, even if the rest of the country is
abandoning the practice.
20
A clear example of this can be seen in Kenya, where
over the last half century a remarkable transformation 0
has occurred. While female genital mutilation was once Somali Kisii Kalenjin Meru Kikuyu Kamba Mijikenda/ Luo Luhya
widespread, most of the country has now abandoned the Swahili
practice. Yet among the Somali community, concentrated in 1977 2022
the North Eastern province of the country, there has been
Notes: This analysis included ethnic groups for which data were available for the entire reference period and that had a sufficient number of cases to perform the analysis. The apparent
little change, and the practice remains nearly universal. increase in prevalence in the Luo group is not statistically significant.

18
 A group of young girls from Wajir County in
North Eastern Kenya attend an open dialogue session on
the abandonment of FGM in the Somali community.
© UNICEFKENYA/2017/SEREM

19
A CLOSER LOOK: CONFLICT AND FRAGILITY AS A CHALLENGE TO PROGRESS

Around 4 in 10 girls and Fig. 12: Percentage distribution of the number of girls and women of all ages (pie chart)
and percentage of girls and women aged 15 to 49 years (bar chart) who have undergone
women who have undergone female genital mutilation, according to fragility classification

female genital mutilation

live in countries affected Countries in
by conflict or fragility conflict, 40%
Other
Female genital mutilation occurs in
countries,
broad areas and isolated communities
around the globe, including in countries 58%
experiencing conflict and other crises.
In fact, substantial overlap is seen Ethiopia, Nigeria and Sudan account for
between countries in which female the largest numbers of girls and women
genital mutilation is most common and who have undergone female genital
those classified as conflict-affected or mutilation in conflict-affected countries.
experiencing institutional and
social fragility.2

Such settings pose exceptional challenges, Countries

since the context makes it more difficult experiencing
to address the needs of girls who institutional and
have undergone the procedure and to
implement programmes and policies
social fragility, 2%
known to help prevent the practice.

Conflict 37
The prevalence of female genital Institutional and social fragility 44
mutilation is similar across these
country groupings: Other countries 39

20
 A CLOSER LOOK: A GROWING AT-RISK POPULATION

Countries in which Fig. 13: Percentage change in the number of girls born annually, 2000-2050
125% increase
female genital mutilation
is concentrated are
projected to see a rapidly 83% increase

growing population 62% increase

38% increase

This growth trend is Countries in which Institutional and

FGM is concentrated social fragility
even more pronounced in Conflict Other countries

countries affected by both Rest of the world Countries in which FGM is concentrated, by fragility classification

female genital mutilation

13% decrease
and fragility
Notes: The countries represented in this chart are limited to the 31 countries in which female genital mutilation is concentrated, and are split into three groups according to the World Bank
fragility classification. See Endnotes for more details and references on this classification.

The number of girls who undergo female genital mutilation mutilation has grown, and now stands at over 230 million,
depends not only on how common it is, but also on the size of the 30 million more than the last estimate issued in 2016.
population at risk. Even in communities that are slowly shifting
away from the practice, the total number of girls cut can remain the Looking ahead, the number of girls born into affected countries is
same or even increase if the population is growing rapidly. projected to continue growing at a rapid pace, meaning that future
prevention efforts will need to address a larger at-risk population.
This phenomenon is foremost among the reasons why the total This trend underscores the urgent need to work towards the
number of girls and women worldwide affected by female genital elimination of the practice, removing the risk for girls in the future.

21
 that has occurred relatively recently, as opposed to Caution is therefore warranted in interpreting the results
Technical notes data on female genital mutilation among older women, since apparent differences among groups may not be
which reflect cutting that occurred many decades ago. significant. All messages were developed in light of
The global number of girls and women alive today who
Alternatively, the age group 15 to 19 years is used for the confidence intervals, so where a difference among
have undergone female genital mutilation includes girls
some countries in cases where data on the preferred groups is mentioned in the text, it has been confirmed as
and women of all ages who have experienced any form
age group are not available or if a substantial proportion statistically significant.
of the practice. The estimate draws upon nationally
of cutting is performed after age 10. Such countries are
representative and internationally comparable data from
31 countries, representing 90 per cent of the population marked with an asterisk (*) in these charts. In all figures that show national-level data, the selection
of girls and women in the countries in Africa, Asia and the of countries includes all those that have collected
Middle East where female genital mutilation is known to In Figure 6, analysis is limited to girls and women who comparable data on the indicator and have a sufficient
be widely practised. The total also includes an estimate have undergone female genital mutilation, and boys number of cases to reliably perform the analysis.
of the affected numbers in countries with missing data, and men who live in a household with at least one
person who has undergone the procedure. By restricting
in smaller practising communities elsewhere in the world
the analysis in this way, these results are meant to
DATA SOURCES
where national-level data collection is not warranted,
and among migrant communities whose numbers are illustrate the situation within practising communities.
UNICEF global databases, 2024, based on Demographic
difficult to quantify. Across contexts, people who are not part of practising
and Health Surveys (DHS), Multiple Indicator Cluster
communities are exceedingly likely to oppose the
Surveys (MICS) and other nationally representative
To assess the prevalence of female genital mutilation, practice and very unlikely to have their daughters cut.
surveys that use comparable methodology, 2004–2022.
this analysis used Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)
For detailed source information by country, please see
indicator 5.3.2 – the proportion of girls and women aged Trends in the prevalence of female genital mutilation are
evaluated by comparing the level among adolescent girls <data.unicef.org>. Demographic data are from the United
15 to 49 years who have undergone the practice. An age
aged 15 to 19 at the time of the latest survey with the Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs,
disaggregate of this indicator is also used, referring to the
level among those aged 45 to 49 years – that is, women Population Division, World Population Prospects 2022,
prevalence among adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 years.
who were adolescents 30 years earlier. Online Edition.
While the standard SDG indicator captures how common
the experience of female genital mutilation is among all
girls and women of reproductive age, disaggregating for Projected values based on a continuation of observed ENDNOTES
the youngest group limits the analysis to the population progress, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, apply the average 1
Cappa, Claudia, Luk Van Baelen and Els Leye, ‘The Practice of Female Genital
exposed to the risk most recently, and thus represents a annual rate of reduction in the prevalence of female Mutilation across the World: Data availability and approaches to measurement’,

more current assessment of prevalence. genital mutilation over the past 10 years or past 30 years, Global Public Health, vol. 14, no. 8, 2019, pp. 1139–1152.

as noted. For statistical purposes, ‘elimination’ of female 2

The list of fragile and conflict-affected situations is sourced from the World Bank and

In Figures 3 to 5, data on the circumstances around genital mutilation is defined here as prevalence of less includes countries “affected by violent conflict, identified based on a threshold number
of conflict-related deaths relative to the population,” and countries with “high levels
female genital mutilation are presented for girls aged 10 than 1 per cent. of institutional and social fragility, identified based on indicators that measure the
quality of policy and institutions, and manifestations of fragility.” For more details, see:
to 14 years, where possible. This age cohort is preferred https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/fragilityconflictviolence/brief/harmonized-list-
for analysis since it provides information on cutting Confidence intervals are not shown in this publication. of-fragile-situations

22
A girl looks on at an awareness-raising
campaign to end female genital mutilation
in Assaba District, Mauritania.

© UNICEF/UN05212/Dragaj

23
 In Kankan, Guinea, three sisters pose
with a sign that reads ‘No to the
excision of girls,’ referring to a term for
female genital mutilation commonly
used in French-speaking countries.
Their mother is a community advocate
against the practice.

© UNICEF/UN0769633/Camara
© United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF),
Division of Data, Analytics, Planning and Monitoring,
March 2024

Permission is required to reproduce any part of this

publication. Permission will be freely granted to
educational or non-profit organizations.

To request permission or for any other information on this

publication, please contact:
UNICEF Data and Analytics Section
Division of Data, Analytics, Planning and Monitoring
3 United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017, USA
Telephone: +1 212 326 7000
Email: data@unicef.org

All reasonable precautions have been taken by UNICEF

to verify the information contained in this publication.
For any data updates subsequent to release, please visit
<data.unicef.org>.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This data brief was prepared by Claudia Cappa and
Colleen Murray (Data & Analytics Section, UNICEF
Headquarters) with inputs from Munkhbadar Jugder (Data
& Analytics Section), Nankali Maksud (Child Protection
Programme Team, UNICEF Headquarters), and Isabel Jijon
(independent consultant).

The report was edited by Lois Jensen (independent

consultant) and designed by Big Yellow Taxi.

SUGGESTED CITATION
United Nations Children’s Fund, Female Genital Mutilation:
A global concern. 2024 Update, UNICEF, New York, 2024.
 Not everything we inherit is a gift to be passed on,
We gain more than we lose when we choose to move on
— Justina Kehinde, artist and activist