The Perception of African Immigrant Women Living in Spain Regarding the Persistence of FGM

Abstract

Approximately 200 million women and girls have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM) worldwide. Migration has spread the practice of FGM around the world, thus making it a global public health issue. The objective of this descriptive qualitative study was to explore the perceptions of Sub-Saharan immigrant women in Spain in relation to the causes of the persistence of FGM. In-depth interviews were carried out with 13 female FGM survivors of African origin, followed by inductive data analysis using ATLAS.ti software. Two main themes emerged from the analysis: (1) A family ritual symbolic of purification and (2) a system of false beliefs and deception in favour of FGM. The FGM survivors living in Europe are aware that FGM is a practice that violates human rights yet persists due to a system of false beliefs rooted in family traditions and deception that hides the reality of FGM from young girls or forces them to undergo the practice. The ritualistic nature of FGM and the threat of social exclusion faced by women who have not had it performed on them contributes to its persistence nowadays.

Sub-Saharan Irregular Migrant Women’s Sexuality: A Qualita-Tive Study in Humanitarian Reception Centers Title

“…We agree with other studies that society exerts strong control over sexuality and reproduction, and influences personal behaviours and social judgements that provoke anti-abortion sentiments [35]. Sexual and reproductive health policies are imperative for IMW to have access to sex education about taboos surrounding menstruation or female genital mutilation [36]. Access to good sex education is vital for menstrual literacy [37] and the prevention of FGM, a discriminatory ritual that violates human rights [36].…”

“…Sexual and reproductive health policies are imperative for IMW to have access to sex education about taboos surrounding menstruation or female genital mutilation [36]. Access to good sex education is vital for menstrual literacy [37] and the prevention of FGM, a discriminatory ritual that violates human rights [36]. According to other studies [38], the persistence of a patriarchal society in many African countries controls courtship, communication and sexual practices.…”

Sub-Saharan Irregular Migrant Women’s Sexuality: A Qualitative Study in Humanitarian Reception Centers

“…We agree with other studies that society exerts strong control over sexuality and reproduction; social prejudice influences personal behaviors and provoke anti-abortion sentiments [ 42 ]. Sexual and reproductive health policies are imperative for IMW to have access to sex education about taboos surrounding menstruation or female genital mutilation [ 43 ]. Access to good sex education is vital for menstrual literacy [ 44 ] and the prevention of FGM, a discriminatory ritual that violates human rights [ 43 ].…”

“…Sexual and reproductive health policies are imperative for IMW to have access to sex education about taboos surrounding menstruation or female genital mutilation [ 43 ]. Access to good sex education is vital for menstrual literacy [ 44 ] and the prevention of FGM, a discriminatory ritual that violates human rights [ 43 ]. According to other studies [ 45 ], patriarchal societies in many African countries control the norms of courtship, communication and sexual practices.…”

Investigación de la Producción Científica en España sobre la Mutilación Genital Femenina

“…(p. 6) Las edades a las que se someten a la MGF no son la misma para todas las mujeres, ya que esto depende de la cultura del país en la que se realizó. Sin embargo, la mayoría tienen en común el hecho de realizarse a una edad muy temprana, lo que conlleva a realizarse sin ningún tipo de consentimiento e incluso muchas de ellas no recuerdan nada de la práctica (Berthe-Kone et al, 2021).…”