scholarly journals What Works and What Does Not: A Discussion of Popular Approaches for the Abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Elise B. Johansen ◽  
Nafissatou J. Diop ◽  
Glenn Laverack ◽  
Els Leye
Keyword(s):  
Health Professionals ◽  
Female Genital Mutilation ◽  
Change Agents ◽  
Limited Resources ◽  
Traditional Practice ◽  
Genital Mutilation ◽  
What Works ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Female Genital

The prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is reducing in almost all countries in which it is a traditional practice. There are huge variations between countries and communities though, ranging from no change at all to countries and communities where the practice has been more than halved from one generation to the next. Various interventions implemented over the last 30–40 years are believed to have been instrumental in stimulating this reduction, even though in most cases the decrease in prevalence has been slow. This raises questions about the efficacy of interventions to eliminate FGM and an urgent need to channel the limited resources available, where it can make the most difference in the abandonment of FGM. This paper is intended to contribute to the design of more effective interventions by assessing existing knowledge of what works and what does not and discusses some of the most common approaches that have been evaluated: health risk approaches, conversion of excisers, training of health professionals as change agents, alternative rituals, community-led approaches, public statements, and legal measures.

Cultural Beliefs, Perceptions, and Experiences on Female Genital Mutilation Among Women and Men: A Qualitative Analysis

2021 ◽  
pp. 088626052110152
Author(s):  
Alba González-Timoneda ◽  
Antonio Cano Sánchez ◽  
Marta González-Timoneda ◽  
Vicente Ruiz Ros
Keyword(s):  
Female Genital Mutilation ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Traditional Practice ◽  
Genital Mutilation ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Data Saturation ◽  
Female Genital

The practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) is a deeply-rooted tradition that affects predominantly regions of Africa and Asia. Because of migration flows, FGM is an issue of increasing concern worldwide. FGM is now carried out in Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand, and more specifically among immigrant communities from countries where it is common. This study aims to assess the experience, knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs related to FGM of migrant women and men from FGM-affected countries residing in Spain and the United Kingdom. A phenomenological qualitative approach was used. Participants (n=23) were recruited by using the snowball sampling technique until data saturation was reached. Data were collected through 18 open-ended interviews and a focus group. Of the 23 participants, 20 women had undergone FGM. The following five themes were generated from interviews: (a) FGM practice development, (b) knowledge about the practice, (c) reasons for performing FGM, (d) attitudes toward continuing or abandoning the practice, and (e) criminalization of FGM. The study here presented identifies a lack of information, memory, and knowledge about the practice of FGM and typology among women with FGM. The justification of the practice seems to be based on a multifactorial model, where sociocultural and economic factors, sexual factors, hygienic-esthetic factors, and religious-spiritual factors take on a greater role in the analysis of the interviews carried out. The participants practically unanimously agree to advocate the abandonment and eradication of this harmful traditional practice. The knowledge displayed in this study may provide a basis for improving awareness and healthcare in such collectives, aiming the eradication of this harmful traditional practice.

scholarly journals Review of Web-Based Toolkits for Health Care Practitioners Working With Women and Girls Affected by or at Risk of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 215013272093529
Author(s):  
Hina Shaikh ◽  
Karen A. McDonnell
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Female Genital Mutilation ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Skills Development ◽  
Genital Mutilation ◽  
Rich Diversity ◽  
Women And Girls ◽  
Female Genital

Increased migration has given rise to more advocacy efforts against female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C), legislation that criminalizes the practice, and guidance to the health sector for managing care of affected groups. More women and girls who have been cut or who are at risk of FGM/C are migrating from regions where it is common to countries where it is not and interacting with health professionals and other community practitioners in these host countries. Despite numerous studies on the negative health impacts of FGM/C, little is known about toolkits on FGM/C that providers can use in their prevention and response efforts. We sought to explore the nature of Internet-based products referenced as toolkits and materials characteristic of toolkits aimed at different service providers who may interact with women and girls affected by FGM/C. Through an online search, we identified 45 toolkits and collected data about each one. We found that the toolkits targeted different audiences and offered a diverse set of information and resources. The majority of toolkits were aimed at health professionals and provided factual and epidemiological-focused content, yet many did not include research evidence, skills development application, or approaches for implementing the toolkit in practice. This review is the first completed in the area of FGM/C to show a rich diversity of online materials. Future toolkits can be improved with the provision of evidence-based information and practical skills development for use by health professionals in implementing best practices in working with women and girls affected by FGM/C.

Prosecution of female genital mutilation in the United Kingdom: Injustice at the intersection of good public health intentions and the criminal law

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 258-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marge Berer
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Criminal Law ◽  
Female Genital Mutilation ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Traditional Practice ◽  
Genital Mutilation ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Health Intentions ◽  
Female Genital

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a harmful traditional practice and a serious public health issue in the countries where it is carried out. It is also a violation of the rights of the girls to whom it is done. The main action taken in the United Kingdom to stop FGM, has been to criminalise it. Public health measures, such as the provision of specialist clinics for those who experience complications of FGM have been implemented as well, and some education in schools is provided. This article is about the injustice that has arisen from the pursuit of prosecutions for FGM in the United Kingdom, in spite of good public health intentions. Since 2012, there have been four criminal cases, several arrests that never came to trial, and for reasons of safeguarding, an unknown number of investigations with the threat of girls being taken into care, and people stopped from travelling with girl children to visit their families in FGM-practising countries. To date, only one criminal case in 2019 – R v. N (FGM) – which is the main subject of this article, has resulted in a guilty verdict. This article outlines this history in relation to the criminal law and uses courtroom observation to analyse what happened in the 2019 case in detail. It argues that the conviction depended on medical opinion and the highly uncertain evidence of two children and was influenced by a spurious link to witchcraft that should never have been permitted in the courtroom. It argues that this conviction is unsafe and should be appealed. It further argues that to use protection orders only because a child’s mother had FGM, in the absence of any evidence of risk, is discriminatory and a form of impermissible racial/ethnic profiling. The article concludes that the United Kingdom should stop recording a history of FGM in women seeking healthcare. It calls for the current law against FGM to be reconsidered and replaced with positive measures for countering FGM which have the support and involvement of the community groups to whom they are addressed.

scholarly journals Genital Mutilation of Girls

2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 475-485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars Almroth ◽  
Susan Elmusharaf
Keyword(s):  
Social Workers ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Female Genital Mutilation ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Limited Effect ◽  
Traditional Practice ◽  
Migration Patterns ◽  
Genital Mutilation ◽  
The World ◽  
Female Genital

Female genital mutilation is a traditional practice affecting girls when their genitals are cut for social, cultural or other non-medical reasons. It is estimated that 3 million girls undergo the procedure every year, mainly in areas in Africa and Asia where it is traditionally practised, but owing to migration patterns, girls living in other parts of the world are also at risk. This article describes the practice of female genital mutilation in a changing world and outlines some aspects in relation to female genital mutilation in girls and women that health staff, teachers, social workers and others should pay attention to. Knowledge regarding complications is important for healthcare, but when complications have been used as arguments against the practice this has had limited effect. Information regarding health risks has to be integrated into culturally sensitive approaches based on human rights and improving the situation for girls and women in order to reach a point where genital mutilation of girls will be generally abandoned.

Female genital mutilation (FGM) in UK children: a review of a dedicated paediatric service for FGM

2020 ◽  
Vol 105 (11) ◽  
pp. 1075-1078 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sakaria Ali ◽  
Roshnee Patel ◽  
Alice Jane Armitage ◽  
Hazel Isabella Learner ◽  
Sarah M Creighton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Female Genital Mutilation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Clinical Findings ◽  
Genital Mutilation ◽  
Number Of Children ◽  
Looked After Children ◽  
Paediatric Service ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Female Genital

ObjectiveTo describe the presentation and management of children with suspected or confirmed female genital mutilation (FGM) referred to a specialist paediatric clinic.MethodsData collected included referral source, age, ethnicity, circumstances of FGM and clinical findings in accordance with the WHO FGM classification.ResultsBetween September 2014 and January 2019, 148 children attended the clinic of whom 55 (37.2%) had confirmed FGM. Police or social care referred 112 (76%) children. The proportion of looked-after children (LAC) was significantly higher in the group with confirmed FGM (17/55, 31%) compared with children where FGM was not confirmed (5/93, 5%). In almost all children where FGM was confirmed, FGM was initially disclosed by the child or family (53/55, 96%) and of these 48/55 (87%) underwent FGM prior to UK entry. The remaining seven cases were British children, potentially meeting legal criteria under the FGM Act, and one resulted in a successful prosecution.ConclusionsThe number of children with FGM was significantly lower than expected based on UK prevalence estimates. Most children had undergone FGM prior to UK entry, and the majority of cases were initially disclosed by the child or family themselves. These results reflect the lack of large-scale proof of the practice of FGM in the UK and are consistent with growing evidence of the abandonment of FGM among communities after migration.

Female genital mutilation: the role of health professionals in prevention, assessment, and management

BMJ ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 344 (mar14 1) ◽  
pp. e1361-e1361 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Simpson ◽  
K. Robinson ◽  
S. M. Creighton ◽  
D. Hodes
Keyword(s):  
Health Professionals ◽  
Female Genital Mutilation ◽  
Genital Mutilation ◽  
Female Genital

scholarly journals What Makes a Woman? Case Studies Documenting The Reasons for and Circumstances of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in Indonesia, Ethiopia and Kenya

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tasneem Kakal ◽  
Irwan Hidayana ◽  
Berhanu Abeje ◽  
Tabither Gitau ◽  
Maryse Kok ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Young Women ◽  
Female Genital Mutilation ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
Female Genital Cutting ◽  
Traditional Practice ◽  
Genital Mutilation ◽  
Female Bodies ◽  
Female Genital

Abstract Background: Female genital cutting/mutilation is a harmful traditional practice that violates women’s rights and has adverse health consequences. This paper presents the reasons for and circumstances of female genital mutilation/ cutting (FGM/C) in specific settings of three countries – Indonesia, Ethiopia and Kenya.Methods: Data were collected through a household survey with young people (15-24 years) and through focus group discussions, in-depth interviews and key informant interviews with youth and community stakeholders in 2016 and 2017. Descriptive statistics and thematic content analysis were conducted.Results: The study findings confirm some of the reasons for FGM/C documented by previous studies, noting that these reasons are strongly interconnected, and gender norms are the underlying driver. In all three settings, these reasons drive the alterations of female bodies to result in a ‘cultured’ body that is acceptable to the patriarchal status quo. This results in the ‘pure body’ in Indonesia, the ‘tame’ body in Ethiopia and the ‘adult body’ in Kenya. Health workers and parents play an important role in decision-making around FGM/C in all settings. In Kenya, in particular, young women negotiate their role in decision-making around FGM/C as they are older at the time of circumcision. The study reveals how the changing legal and social contexts in each setting bring about changes in the tradition of FGM/C resulting in medicalization of FGM/C in Indonesia, a lowered age of cutting for girls in Kenya and the increasingly underground practice of FGM/C in Ethiopia.Conclusions: The three cases demonstrate the huge variation in the practice of FGM/C and the social meaning attributed to it by young women and their communities. There is a need to further explore the role of parents in decision-making. Due to the links between the different drivers of FGM/C within each context, the study concludes that context-specific strategies need to be adopted by interventions to create long-lasting change.

Female Genital Mutilation/ Cutting Education for Midwives and Nurses as Informed by Women’s Experiences: An Exploratory Sequential Mixed-Method Research Protocol. (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Pilar Diaz ◽  
Mary Steen ◽  
Angela Brown ◽  
Julie Fleet ◽  
Jan Williams
Keyword(s):  
Health Services ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Female Genital Mutilation ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Phase 2 ◽  
Genital Mutilation ◽  
Female Genital

BACKGROUND Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is a complex and deeply rooted sociocultural custom that is innately entrenched in the lives of those that continue its practice despite the physical and psychological dangers it perpetrates. Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is considered a significant independent risk factor for adverse maternal and fetal outcomes in pregnancy and childbirth. Several studies in high income countries (HIC) have explored the experiences and needs of women with FGM/C, and the knowledge the health professionals, in particular midwives and nurses, that care for them. However, to date, no studies have evaluated the implementation of education for health professionals in HIC to meet the specific needs of women with FGM/C. OBJECTIVE To explore the impact of an FGM/C education program for midwives and nurses as informed by the experiences of women with FGM/C accessing maternity, gynaecological and sexual health services in South Australia. METHODS This study will adopt a three-phase exploratory sequential mixed method design. Phase 1 ‘Exploration’ of women with FGM/C views and experiences accessing maternity and gynaecological (including sexual health) services in South Australia. The findings from phase 1 will inform phase 2: ‘Development’ of an educational program for midwives and nurses on health and cultural needs of women with FGM/C. Phase 3: ‘Evaluation’ of the program, by measuring midwives’ and nurses’ changes in knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of, immediately pre-and-post-test, and four months after completing the program. Phase 1 of this study has been approved by the Women’s and Children’s Health Network (WCHN) Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) (ID number 2021/HRE00156). RESULTS Phase 1 will commence in August 2021 with interpretation of findings undertaken by November 2021. Phase 2 will be developed and facilitated by February 2022 and the final phase of this study will begin in March 2022. This study is expected to be completed by February 2023. CONCLUSIONS The findings of this research will provide insight into the development and evaluation of education programs for midwives and nurses that includes collaboration with women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to address the specific cultural and health needs of communities.

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