Changing Youth Attitudes Towards Female Genital Mutilation in Egypt

1. Changing Youth Attitudes Towards Female Genital Mutilation in Egypt Leah Freij, PhD Senior Technical Advisor The Centre for Development and Population Activities

2. Presentation Overview • Egyptian Context • CEDPA’s Programs • Lessons Learned • Next Steps

3. Context CEDPA began working in Egypt in 1986: • High illiteracy rate – 70% • High fertility rate – 1 in 5 married before 15 • High rate of female circumcision – 97%

4. New Horizons Program (1996-2004) • Literate and illiterate girls (aged 9-20) • Demystify and communicate reproductive health • Basic life skills • 62,582 girls completed the program Non-formal education program for girls

5. Why a Boys’ Program? “What about my father, brother and future husband? If they don't know these things, we will have difficulties getting our rights.” – a girl from Qena “How are we going to benefit and put this into action if men around us don't appreciate it? Can you please educate them?” – a girl from Sohag

6. New Visions Program (2002-2004) • Literate boys between 12-20 • Responds to boys distinct needs • Communities where girls’ program was delivered • Implemented in youth centers • 13,895 boys completed program Non-formal education for boys; complements girls’ program

7. New Horizons and New Visions Shared Objectives • Improve the life-skills, self-confidence, social competence • Increase knowledge on reproductive health • Increaseawareness on gender sensitivity

8. Sessions for Girls and Boys

9. Why a Community Involvement Program? • Individuals and families are reluctant to abandon FGM • Need an enabling environment for individuals to change behavior Responded to results of New Horizons and New Visions program:

10. FGM Abandonment Program (2004- 2006) • Community mobilization program • Identify at-risk girls, and those in immediate risk of being circumcised (9-12) • Prevent families from following through with their intention • 40 communities in 4 governorates

11. FGM Abandonment Program • Mobilize those who do not practice FGM (positive deviants) • Use personal solutions in community • Conduct outreach activities within communities • Home visits to families of girls at risk: track, monitor outcome of visits

12. General Programmatic Achievements • Encouraged individuals to question practices taken for granted • Introduced concept of rights-based gender equality • Space for youth to shape notions of femininity and masculinity • Favorable shift in gender relations

13. Evaluation Methods • Outcome Study (girls) – Focus Group Discussion • Quantitative – Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice Survey (boys) • Qualitative Approach (boys) • Retrospective Study • Community Study (FGMAP)

14. Outcome Study, Girls • Changing young women’s beliefs on FGM is difficult • Girls/young women opposed to FGM intended to circumcise their daughters • Family and community pressure to maintain social norms • Women’s complicity • No facilitators will circumcise their daughters

15. Quantitative Study – Changes in Boys’ Attitudes Results indicate that boys remain ambivalent around FGM Highest score is most favorable.

16. Voices of Stakeholders & Facilitators “After I joined the program I realized that [FGM] constitutes physical violence because it involves the removal of a part of the female’s body.” —Facilitator “Not only were we convinced, we felt guilty. I remember by heart, the words of one religious leader at the seminar who said that ‘FGM is a cheap victory on a girls’ freedom.’” —Director of Youth Center

17. Retrospective Study, Girls Question: Do you intend to circumcise your daughter? • Women tended to be undecided reflecting power of social pressure • Women from southern Egypt were more likely to circumcise their daughters than women from northern Egypt • Reasons for circumcising daughters: religious, medical/hygienic, cultural reasons

18. Retrospective Study, Boys Two-item scale: • Some people believe that the advantages to female circumcision outweigh the disadvantages • Some men would only marry a girl who has been circumcised • 44.5% agreed and 20.6% strongly agreed with statements • Boys in southern Egypt had more favorable attitude on FGM than boys in northern Egypt

19. FGM Abandonment Project Results • Resistance to/intentions not to circumcise daughters depended on communities’ conservative nature • Girls’ behavior/virtue is governed by upbringing and not circumcision • Youth are vehicles for social change • Young Muslim religious leaders played an important role

20. Lessons Learned • Change can happen— but not easily • Societal norms constrain men and women • Degree of ambivalence differs among communities • Understand women’s complicity • Religious leaders and physicians influence community attitudes

21. Next Steps to Accelerate FGM Abandonment • Transparency in our work • Multi-pronged approaches – stand alone and incorporated into existing programs • Empower individuals and communities to challenge practice of FGM • Political will at national and international level to continue funding FGM programs

22. Thank you! Leah Freij, PhD Senior Technical Advisor The Centre for Development and Population Activities 1133 21st Street, NW Suite 800 Washington, DC 20036 lfreij@cedpa.org The Towards New Horizons Project was conducted with support from the U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT under the terms of USAID/Cairo Grant Number 263-G-00-00-00003-00. Female Genital Mutilation Abandonment Program (FGMAP) was funded under a grant by UNICEF Egypt (August 2004 - April 2006). The opinions stated in this presentation are those of the author and do not reflect those of our funders.