The other face of FGM: moral and asocial elements (2003)
This study is a Exploratory research regarding All FGM/C with the following characteristics:
Author(s): African Women’s Organization
FGM/C Type(s): All
Health area of focus: None.
Objective: To highlight the fact that there are other elements besides the health aspect that need to be looked into for the camapign against FGM/C. It also wants to show that more detailed and systematic studies should be under taken at the grassroot level,as the essence of the attributes may vary from community to community. The immediate objective is to answer the question whether FGM/C achieves its objectices of preserving the social and moral values that have been attributed to FGM/C by the practitioners,guardians and sponsors of the practice. Does FGM control or help to prevent negative social and moral behaviours claimed to be manifested by women and young girls in their sexual and social life,for example does it prevent prostitution or premarital sex or unfaithfulness? Have these behaviours got anything to do with FGM? Another objective of this exercise is to show that,just like in the case of religion,the social and moral values attributed to it are not dependent on the practice of FGM nor does FGM contribute to maintain them
Study Population: Women,Men
Findings: The study concluded that people must be shown that the attributes given to FGM/C are not the consequences of the operation itself but other factors practiced by individuals and families. Anti-FGM/C campaigns must include information on the relationship of the attributes to the reality,for example,they must be showed that virginity is in no way preserved by FGM/C,that faithfulness is nor assued by FGM/C
Geographical coverage
Region(s):Western Europe,Eastern Africa,Northern Europe,Northern Africa
Country(ies):Ethiopia,Sudan,Austria,United Kingdom