Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: The Secret World of Women as Seen by Men
Efforts aimed at the abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) in the communities where it is deeply rooted have extensively considered and addressed women’s perceptions on the issue, leaving those of men barely acknowledged. Although the practice is generally confined to the secret w...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2013-01-01
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| Series: | Obstetrics and Gynecology International |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/643780 |
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| author | Adriana Kaplan Babucarr Cham Lamin A. Njie Ana Seixas Sandra Blanco Mireia Utzet |
| author_facet | Adriana Kaplan Babucarr Cham Lamin A. Njie Ana Seixas Sandra Blanco Mireia Utzet |
| author_sort | Adriana Kaplan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Efforts aimed at the abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) in the communities where it is deeply rooted have extensively considered and addressed women’s perceptions on the issue, leaving those of men barely acknowledged. Although the practice is generally confined to the secret world of women, it does not mean that men cannot be influential. Indeed, men can play an important role in prevention. In order to address this gap, and having as background an extensive ethnographic field work, a transversal descriptive study was designed to explore Gambian men’s knowledge and attitudes towards FGM/C, as well as related practices in their family/household. Results show ethnic identity, more than religion, as the decisive shaping factor on how men conceive and value FGM/C. The greater support towards the practice is found among traditionally practicing groups. A substantial proportion of men intend to have it performed on their daughters, although reporting a low involvement in the decision making process, with very few taking alone the final decision. Only a minority is aware of FGM/C health consequences, but those who understand its negative impact on the health and well-being of girls and women are quite willing to play a role in its prevention. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0232f6896bbb45769e1030cb6339031d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1687-9589 1687-9597 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2013-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Obstetrics and Gynecology International |
| spelling | doaj-art-0232f6896bbb45769e1030cb6339031d2025-02-03T01:12:42ZengWileyObstetrics and Gynecology International1687-95891687-95972013-01-01201310.1155/2013/643780643780Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: The Secret World of Women as Seen by MenAdriana Kaplan0Babucarr Cham1Lamin A. Njie2Ana Seixas3Sandra Blanco4Mireia Utzet5Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Belatterra 08193, SpainSchool for Enrolled Community Health Nurses and Midwives, Mansakonko, GambiaSchool for Enrolled Community Health Nurses and Midwives, Mansakonko, GambiaNGO Wassu Gambia Kafo, Fajara F Section, Banjul, GambiaNGO Wassu Gambia Kafo, Fajara F Section, Banjul, GambiaGroup for Research in Africa and Latin America, Biostatistics Department, School of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Belatterra 08193, SpainEfforts aimed at the abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) in the communities where it is deeply rooted have extensively considered and addressed women’s perceptions on the issue, leaving those of men barely acknowledged. Although the practice is generally confined to the secret world of women, it does not mean that men cannot be influential. Indeed, men can play an important role in prevention. In order to address this gap, and having as background an extensive ethnographic field work, a transversal descriptive study was designed to explore Gambian men’s knowledge and attitudes towards FGM/C, as well as related practices in their family/household. Results show ethnic identity, more than religion, as the decisive shaping factor on how men conceive and value FGM/C. The greater support towards the practice is found among traditionally practicing groups. A substantial proportion of men intend to have it performed on their daughters, although reporting a low involvement in the decision making process, with very few taking alone the final decision. Only a minority is aware of FGM/C health consequences, but those who understand its negative impact on the health and well-being of girls and women are quite willing to play a role in its prevention.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/643780 |
| spellingShingle | Adriana Kaplan Babucarr Cham Lamin A. Njie Ana Seixas Sandra Blanco Mireia Utzet Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: The Secret World of Women as Seen by Men Obstetrics and Gynecology International |
| title | Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: The Secret World of Women as Seen by Men |
| title_full | Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: The Secret World of Women as Seen by Men |
| title_fullStr | Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: The Secret World of Women as Seen by Men |
| title_full_unstemmed | Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: The Secret World of Women as Seen by Men |
| title_short | Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: The Secret World of Women as Seen by Men |
| title_sort | female genital mutilation cutting the secret world of women as seen by men |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/643780 |
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