Female Genital Cutting

1
Female Genital Cutting

• Breaking the Silence, Enabling Change
• Presentation for the Maternal and Child Health
  Team.
• By Amani Ahmed

2
Purpose and Objectives

• The problem of FGC is no longer the concern of
  the nations that practice it. Immigrant
  communities currently residing in the United
  States brought the FGC as well as other cultural
  practices to their host countries.
• The issue present a challenge to the maternal and
  child health field in general and social workers
  in particular.

3
What is Female Genital Cutting

• Female Genital Cutting is the alteration of the
  female genitalia.
• It is a harmful cultural practice that is common
  in Africa.
• The practice is recognized as a maternal and
  child health problem, as an issue of violence
  against women and as a violation of childrens
  and womens right.

4
Historical Context

• Many scholars and researchers speculated about
  the origin of FGC
• Some Scholars believe that FGC originated in
  Africa,
• Some Researchers claim that the practice started
  in the Arabia Peninsula, and
• Another group believe that the practice started
  independently in various places.

5
Prevalence

• According to the World Health Organization
• 132 million girls and women worldwide are
  affected by the practice.
• Two million girls are at risk of undergoing some
  type of FGC.
• The practice is common in 28 African country.
  Through the process of immigration the practice
  was brought to Western Europe and North America.

6
Typology

• There are three common types of FGC
• Clitoridectomy
• Excision
• Infibulation

7
Physical and Psychosocial effects

• The following are some of the effects of the FGC
  
• Sever pain before and after the procedure
• Emotional and psychological scarring
• Vulnerability to infections
• Infertility
• Vulnerability to infections
• Pain during sexual intercourse
• Difficulties during childbirth and Maternal
  morbidity

8
Justification for the Practice

• FGC eradication advocates identified these
• reasons
• Tradition
• Religion
• Sexuality

9
Early efforts to eradicate the practice

• Efforts to eradicate the practice of FCG started
  as early as the colonial times.
• During the 1970s and 1980s the practice started
  to gain international attention.
• In early 1990s, the practice was seen as a
  violation of childrens and womens right.

10
The Turning Point The Egyptian Experience

• Local government in partnership with civil
  society organizations.
• The eradication intervention used the Positive
  Deviant Approach.
• Positive Deviants are individual who have stopped
  or prevented the occurrence, individuals who have
  stopped performing the procedure, or community
  leaders who opposed the practice.

11
The Turning Point The Egyptian Experience (cont.)

• The intervention included three phases.
• In phase I Positive Deviants were identified
• During phase II Positive Deviants were
  interviewed.
• The last phase included analysis of gathered
  data. The information was then used to formulate
  a context specific and culturally sensitive
  strategies.

12
Conclusion and Recommendations

• Eradication interventions need to be context
  specific and culturally sensitive.
• Eradication advocates should respect cultural and
  religious beliefs.

13
Conclusions and recommendations (cont.)

• Intervention need to create safe environment to
  break the silence.
• Local communities need to be equipped with tool
  to transform their communities.
• Political participation and involvement of the
  local communities produce positive outcome.

14
References

• Alhaleem, A.M., (1992). Claiming our bodies and
  our life Exploring female
• circumcision as an act of violence against women
  in Africa. In Margaret Schuler, (Ed.), Freedom
  from violence , Womens strategies from around
  the world. New York UNIFEM.
• El Dareed, A. (1982). Woman, Why do you weep?
  London Zed Press
• Elsaadawi, N. (1980). The Hidden face of Eve.
  London Zed Press.
• Izzet, S. Toubia, N. (1999). Learning about
  Social Change A Research and
• Evaluation Guidebook Using Female Circumcision as
  a Case Study. New York RAINBOW.

15
References (Cont.)

• Rich, S. Joyce, S. (1996). Eradicating Female
  Genital Mutilation Lessons for Donors.
  
• Washington Wallace Global Fund.
• World Bank, (1997). The World Development Report
  1997 The State in a
• Changing World. New York Oxford University
  Press.
• World Health Organization. (1997). Female Genital
  Mutilation An Overview. Geneva
• www.icrw.org retrieved on 11/20/04