West African Immigrant Perspectives on Female Genital Cutting: Experiences, Attitudes, and Implications for Mental Health Service Providers

Abstract

This small pilot study analyzed the experiences of female genital cutting (FGC) among West African immigrants in New York City from three West African countries (the Gambia, Guinea, and Mali) with FGC prevalence rates of 76, 97, and 89%, respectively, among girls and women aged 15 to 49 years. Nine women participated in two focus group sessions. In the first group, five female participants ranged in age from18-20, and in the second, four participants ranged in age from 31 to 44. Focus group data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. Despite the small sample size, the findings of this exploratory study highlight important aspects of immigrant women's experiences regarding FGC and indicate the need for further exploration. Participants drew from personal experiences to discuss FGC and their views of the practice. Salient themes that emerged included the secretive and violent nature of the practice, the primacy of matriarchal decision-makers, the fear among immigrant mothers that their children would be subjected to FGC without their consent, and health care encounters in the USA. The findings of this study are considered in light of their implications for research, service provision, and policy.

Nexus between Climate Change, Displacement and Conflict: Afghanistan Case

“…Slow-onset hazards can cut off and considerably limit the access to medical services and education, especially in underserviced areas. Women and children in vulnerable situations face the greatest and disproportionate risks from the negative effects of climate change, which can expand gender inequalities [69,70]. These women face the inequality of accessing the human social freedoms and means necessary for the realization of social, economic, and cultural rights, which can cause losses in times of environmental pressure.…”

Attitudes and Experiences Surrounding Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in the United States: A Scoping Review

“…Vacation cutting was discussed in six studies [31, 36, 37, 42, 44, 53]. Overall, these studies found women were opposed to vacation cutting.…”

“…In two studies, women discussed fears and feeling pressure from family to take their daughters to their home countries where they would be at risk of undergoing FGM/C without maternal consent [31, 37]. In one study, women discussed having been informed by medical providers that if their daughters had FGM/C after returning from a trip to Africa, there would be legal consequences [37]. In two studies, women reported that they were aware of instances where daughters were sent back for FGM/C [37, 44].…”

“…In these studies, women described FGM/C as having adverse effects, with physical health consequences more commonly mentioned than mental/emotional consequences [27, 29, 36, 37, 44, 49, 54]. Several studies explored perceived non-health benefits of FGM/C or thoughts on why the practice is perpetuated [28, 32, 37, 42, 45, 54, 58, 61]. The benefits or rationales cited included supporting cultural practices, finding a husband from the same culture/marriageability, preventing premarital sex, and cleanliness [28, 32, 37, 42, 54, 58, 61].…”

“…Women often reported that they experienced FGM/C during infancy or childhood [31-33, 40, 41, 45, 46, 48, 51, 56]. Those who recounted their FGM/C experience (or the experiences of others) often described it as traumatic, painful, and causing immediate adverse physical health experiences (e.g., infection, bleeding, swelling) [28, 31, 32, 37, 48, 60].…”