Female genital mutilation in developing countries: an agenda for public health response

2004 ◽  
Vol 116 (2) ◽  
pp. 144-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan D. Jones ◽  
John Ehiri ◽  
Ebere Anyanwu
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Female Genital Mutilation ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Genital Mutilation ◽  
Health Response ◽  
Female Genital

Female genital mutilation in the UK: considerations for best nursing practice

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (12) ◽  
pp. 788-791
Author(s):  
Bethany Rose
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Female Genital Mutilation ◽  
Nursing Practice ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Public Health Concern ◽  
Genital Mutilation ◽  
Health Complications ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Female Genital

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is any process that injures or removes part or all of the external female genital organs for non-medical reasons. FGM is a growing public health concern in the UK because of an increase in migration from countries where it is widely practised. Education on FGM for nurses is key to supporting women who have undergone the practice, as well as safeguarding girls and women who are at risk. Nurses must understand the history and culture of FGM as well as the long-term health complications to be able to support affected women both professionally and sensitively.

scholarly journals Penile transplantation as an appropriate response to botched traditional circumcisions in South Africa: an argument against

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 86-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keymanthri Moodley ◽  
Stuart Rennie
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Male Circumcision ◽  
Resource Constraints ◽  
Cultural Practice ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Genital Mutilation ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Healthcare Needs ◽  
Health Response

Traditional male circumcision is a deeply entrenched cultural practice in South Africa. In recent times, there have been increasing numbers of botched circumcisions by untrained and unscrupulous practitioners, leading to genital mutilation and often, the need for penile amputation. Hailed as a world’s first, a team of surgeons conducted the first successful penile transplant in Cape Town, South Africa in 2015. Despite the euphoria of this surgical victory, concerns about the use of this costly intervention in a context of severe resource constraints have been raised. In this paper, we explore some of the ethical implications of penile transplants as a clinical and public health response to the adverse consequences of traditional male circumcision. Given the current fiscal deficits in healthcare and public health sectors, how can one justify costly, high-technology interventions for conditions affecting a small section of the population? Since botched traditional male circumcisions are preventable, is a focus on penile transplantation as a form of treatment reasonable? Finally, do such interventions create undue expectations and false hope among a highly vulnerable and stigmatised group of young men? In this paper, we argue that given limited healthcare resources in South Africa and competing healthcare needs, prevention is a more appropriate response to botched traditional circumcisions than penile transplants.

Prosecution of female genital mutilation in the United Kingdom: Injustice at the intersection of good public health intentions and the criminal law

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 258-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marge Berer
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Criminal Law ◽  
Female Genital Mutilation ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Traditional Practice ◽  
Genital Mutilation ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Health Intentions ◽  
Female Genital

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a harmful traditional practice and a serious public health issue in the countries where it is carried out. It is also a violation of the rights of the girls to whom it is done. The main action taken in the United Kingdom to stop FGM, has been to criminalise it. Public health measures, such as the provision of specialist clinics for those who experience complications of FGM have been implemented as well, and some education in schools is provided. This article is about the injustice that has arisen from the pursuit of prosecutions for FGM in the United Kingdom, in spite of good public health intentions. Since 2012, there have been four criminal cases, several arrests that never came to trial, and for reasons of safeguarding, an unknown number of investigations with the threat of girls being taken into care, and people stopped from travelling with girl children to visit their families in FGM-practising countries. To date, only one criminal case in 2019 – R v. N (FGM) – which is the main subject of this article, has resulted in a guilty verdict. This article outlines this history in relation to the criminal law and uses courtroom observation to analyse what happened in the 2019 case in detail. It argues that the conviction depended on medical opinion and the highly uncertain evidence of two children and was influenced by a spurious link to witchcraft that should never have been permitted in the courtroom. It argues that this conviction is unsafe and should be appealed. It further argues that to use protection orders only because a child’s mother had FGM, in the absence of any evidence of risk, is discriminatory and a form of impermissible racial/ethnic profiling. The article concludes that the United Kingdom should stop recording a history of FGM in women seeking healthcare. It calls for the current law against FGM to be reconsidered and replaced with positive measures for countering FGM which have the support and involvement of the community groups to whom they are addressed.

scholarly journals The prevention of female genital mutilation in England: what can be done?

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. e261-e266 ◽  
Author(s):  
E Plugge ◽  
S Adam ◽  
L El Hindi ◽  
J Gitau ◽  
N Shodunke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Female Genital Mutilation ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Criminal Offence ◽  
Genital Mutilation ◽  
Awareness Raising ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Female Genital

Abstract Background Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a global public health issue. Women in the UK are at risk of FGM and its adverse health consequences but little is known about its practice. Since 1985 it has been a criminal offence to perform FGM in the UK and further legislation has tightened the law but FGM continues. Methods Four community researchers from the Kenyan, Nigerian, Somalian and Sudanese communities in Oxford conducted focus groups and interviews with 53 people to understand the communities’ beliefs about how best to prevent FGM. Results Participants believed that the current UK legislation alone was not sufficient to tackle FGM and might in fact be counterproductive by alienating communities through its perceived imposition. They felt that there had been insufficient consultation with affected communities, awareness raising and education about the legislation. Community-led solutions were the most effective way to tackle FGM. Conclusions FGM adversely affects communities globally. In the UK, researchers from affected communities gathered data demonstrating the feasibility and importance of involving communities in FGM prevention work. Further research is needed to understand how best to prevent FGM in affected communities and, very importantly, to examine the impact of the UK legislation relating to FGM.

scholarly journals FGM and Restorative Justice—A Challenge for Developing Countries and for Refugee Women

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (17) ◽  
pp. 8913
Author(s):  
Thomas Wenzel ◽  
Jan Ilhan Kizilhan ◽  
Reem Alksiri ◽  
Daniela Dörfler ◽  
Eva Jana Messerschmidt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Restorative Justice ◽  
Psychological Factors ◽  
Female Genital Mutilation ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
International Standards ◽  
Preventive Strategies ◽  
Genital Mutilation ◽  
Refugee Women ◽  
Female Genital

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) has been identified as one of the most serious human rights violations women are exposed to in many countries, in spite of national and international efforts. The actual implementation of preventive strategies and support of victims faces a number of challenges that can only be addressed by an interdisciplinary approach integrating public health and legal considerations. FGM in the context of women as refugees who left their country to escape FGM has rarely been covered in this context. This article summarizes the most important international standards and initiatives against FGM, highlights the medical, legal, and psychological factors identified so far, and explores the interdisciplinary considerations in changing a country and society to permit safe return of those escaping FGM to third countries and support public health in the country.

scholarly journals Ending female genital mutilation – a city’s coordinated effort

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
M Paixão ◽  
A Carmona ◽  
H Capelão ◽  
E Calé ◽  
A Silva
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Primary Healthcare ◽  
Female Genital Mutilation ◽  
Healthcare Facility ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Genital Mutilation ◽  
Specific Protocol ◽  
Entry Points ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Female Genital

Abstract Female genital mutilation (FGM) has short and long-term impacts on the health of girls/women. In Portugal, an estimated 5246 women were subjected to it, with 568 of them residing in the city of Amadora, in the metropolitan area of the capital Lisbon. As such, Amadora was considered a priority area for developing strategies to prevent female genital mutilation, under the coordination of the local public health unit. Our aim was to capacitate professionals to recognise and act on risk/danger and on minimising potential health impacts of FGM on the local institutions these girls/women might come into contact with. We created a task force that held meetings with different local actors: hospital, teams at the primary healthcare facility, city hall of Amadora, child protection services, a school, social inclusion projects, representatives of the justice system and a non-governmental organisation. We designed different scenarios for the different needs and entry points of these girls/women in the system and created appropriate procedures for all these actors. Within the primary healthcare facility, we created guidelines specifying criteria for referral to other specialties. This led to the development of a county protocol targeting FGM during the summer of 2019. We trained 160 healthcare professionals. In addition, we created a booklet for schools and held sessions in school groups targeting teachers, psychologists and operational assistants with a focus on risk and danger indicators and on how to proceed. Overall, 360 school professionals received training. During these sessions, we also presented resources on how to integrate FGM in discussions with students regarding gender violence and human rights. This intervention will be evaluated after one year (summer of 2020) through mixed-methods to understand the impact on the practice of the professionals in Amadora. We will conduct interviews and apply questionnaires to capture the implementation of this city-wide protocol. Key messages Given the complexity of FGM a wide societal and multidisciplinary approach should be used with a public health team coordinating the intervention. In Portugal there is a need for an organised and systematic response by professionals regarding FGM; our county-specific protocol aimed to create that response.

scholarly journals Female Genital Mutilation: Health Consequences and Complications—A Short Literature Review

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elliot Klein ◽  
Elizabeth Helzner ◽  
Michelle Shayowitz ◽  
Stephan Kohlhoff ◽  
Tamar A. Smith-Norowitz
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Female Genital Mutilation ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Psychological Problems ◽  
Female Genitalia ◽  
Cultural Significance ◽  
Health Consequences ◽  
Genital Mutilation ◽  
Female Genital

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a procedure performed on women in developing countries and is underreported; it involves cutting or altering the female genitalia. The health consequences of FGM include bacterial and viral infections, obstetrical complications, and psychological problems. In this study, we report FGM societal importance, ramifications, classifications, cultural significance, prevalence, complications, implications, and treatment. Although efforts have been made to eradicate FGM, the dynamics that perpetuate the practice have societal roots. Intervention methods to promote change from within the community are necessary for successful eradication of the practice. For prevention, further studies are needed to develop programs that raise awareness.

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