Advancing Efforts and Strategies to Stop Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (Fgm/C) in South-East Nigeria: A Qualitative Approach

Abstract

This study focused on advancing efforts and strategies to stop Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) in South-East Nigeria using a qualitative approach. The specific objectives included: to find out efforts made towards eliminating FGM/C in South-East Nigeria; and to identify how the practice of FGM/C can be eradicated in South-East Nigeria. The study was anchored on the social norms theory and it is purely qualitative. A combination of purposive sampling, cluster sampling and simple random sampling techniques was adopted to select respondents for this study. A total of 54 interviews were conducted across 9 qualitative population categories in 6 communities in South-East Nigeria. The QDA Miner software was used to analyze the data. The findings showed that a number of efforts have been made to stop FGM/C in South-East Nigeria which include lecture/campaigns/sensitization, health worker education of community members, punishing the offenders and skeletal involvement of men in FGM/C-eradication campaigns. Again, FGM/C can be eradicated in South-East Nigeria especially through the intensification of such culturally specific/grassroots oriented strategies already existent in the communities such as community sensitization/education, community sanctioning and male-targeted FGM/C-eradication campaigns. It was concluded that it is only the strategies that are culturally specific/grassroots oriented that can bring about FGM/C-eradication but must not be fluidly applied. It was therefore recommended that Government and Non-Governmental Organizations should intensify the already existing sensitization efforts towards the eradication of FGM/C in South-East communities.