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Female Genital Cutting

Female Genital Cutting. Breaking the Silence, Enabling Change Presentation for the Maternal and Child Health Team. By: Amani Ahmed. Purpose and Objectives.

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Female Genital Cutting

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  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 children’s and women’s 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 children’s and women’s 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 , Women’s 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

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