DEMONSTRATION OF GENDER INEQUALITY THROUGH MEDICAL ENDANGERMENT

OR RIGHTFUL PRESERVATION OF CULTURAL TRADITIONS?

Female Genital
Mutilation in African
Tribal Societies
Presentation by: Sophia R. De Lorenzi
OUTLINE OF TOPICS

What is Female Genital Mutilation?

FGM Demographics
FGM Population
Generational Change
Social Determinants
Intervention
 Definition
"Includes procedures that intentionally alter
or cause injury to the female genital organs
for non-medical reasons" (WHO)

Practice

What is
typically between the ages of 4 and 12
performed in unsanitary conditions - floor,
table, bed, or ground of family homes

Female
scissors, special knives, scalpels, pieces of
glass, sharpened sticks, or razor blades in
which it is not uncommon to use the same

Genital instrument on multiple girls

Mutilation?
Issue
"Recognized internationally, [by popular
organizations such as UNICEF,] as a violation
of human rights [as well as a violation to] a
person’s health, security and physical
integrity, the right to be free from torture and
cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment, and
the right to life when the procedure results in
death" (WHO)
FGM
Demographics
Where is it taking
place?
Estimated that more
than 200 million girls
and women worldwide
have undergone FGM
[and] more than 3
million girls are at risk
for cutting each year
on the African
continent alone
FGM
Population

Ages 15 - 19 Elders
Data has shown that “A brave girl will
this age group is less
withstand the pain but
likely to have been
with a coward, the
subjected to FGM than
Ages 4 - 12 women in older age women will have to
groups, showing signs hold her down and tie
Extensive research
of a possible her up; some of them
shows that this age generational change in are really afraid and
group is most at risk the practice those ones cry”
Generational
Change
 It has been statistically proven “that in high
and low prevalence countries alike, the
expected prevalence of FGM/C is generally
highest among daughters of women with no

Social education, and tends to decrease

substantially as a mother’s educational level
Determinants rises [;] this suggests that even when women
have little opportunity to interact with
women from non-[practicing] groups,
LACK OF EDUCATION
education appears to play an important role
in shifting normative expectations around
FGM/C and facilitates abandonment of the
practice” (UNICEF)
 The rationality behind psychosexual
reasons for this procedure is that the
removal of female genitalia controls a
Social women’s sexuality, protects her virginity,

Determinants and increases the sexual experience for

her male partner
Socio-economic factors relate to the
GENDER INEQUALITY
female’s economic dependence on men
as a man will only accept a woman who
has been circumcised.
Intervention
The Effectiveness of a Community-
Based Education Program on
Abandoning Female Genital
Mutilation/Cutting in Senegal
Authors: Nafissatou J. Diop and Ian Askew

TOSTAN - "Breakthrough"
Holistic community-based empowerment program
Villages in the Kolda region of Senegal, Africa
A pre- and post-test comparison-group design was
used to evaluate the effect of a community
education program on community members'
willingness to abandon female genital
mutilation/cutt
Intervention Strategy

SOCIAL ECOLOGICAL MODEL

RESULTS
Community Level
Significant attitudinal and behavioral
changes were documented within the
20 villages where the program was
METHOD evaluated, and such changes in these
and the other 70 intervention villages
One facilitator for each of the 90 village
encouraged leaders from 300 villages in
trained approximately 30 participants in a
the region to participate in a mass public
series of two-hour classes held three
declaration against FGM/C in
times a week, from January to June 2001
2002 (Diop & Askew, 2009). Women were
that covered 4 modules: Human Rights,
most impacted as they comprised of the
The Problem-Solving Process, Basic
majority of the population and also
Hygiene, and Women's Health (Diop &
attended more meetings than men.
Askew, 2009).
Intervention Reflection
HOW COULD THE STRATEGY
WORK FOR OTHER
POPULATION GROUPS & WHY?
I believe educating any community
should serve as the primary step to
change. Often times, people are unaware
that their behaviors and habits are
harming them which is why education is
so necessary and valuable to any
population group.
SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENTS
Education is challenging enough as it is,
but for these individuals to be taught by
a foreigner makes it that much more
difficult to grasp. I would have suggested
including community members more in
the teaching aspect of the project.
IMPLICATIONS FOR OTHER
HEALTH DISPARITY EFFORTS
The only way this intervention could
implicate other heath disparity efforts
would be if the education was
inadequate. For example, if the lessons
being taught were wrong, it could impact
the population's general educational
understanding.
 FINAL NOTE
Society is quick to blame tribal men for
the continuation of Female Genital
Mutilation as it assumed that they
acquire the knowledge necessary to
make such a decision. In actuality, the
bulk of tribal communities do not have
any access at all to an education,
therefore leaving men just as unaware
to the risks as women. It can be argued
that men must be able recognize the
brutality of the practice from the
consequences that result. However, the
practice of Female Genital Mutilation
has become such a longstanding
tradition in their culture that they are
only doing what they believe to be the
norm. The most effective way to
challenge this harsh norm is to educate
both sexes as research has shown that
“many men, like women, want the
practice to end but feel they have to
subject their daughters to it for social
reasons” (Deruy). Despite popular belief,
the majority of men are not preserving
the tradition with the intentions of
causing harm to women; they are
upholding the practice only to preserve
what they have been taught to be
appropriate in their society.
References