Female Circumcision is Nearly Universal in Egypt, Eritrea, Mali and Sudan

Abstract

Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data collected from surveys conducted between 1989 and 1986 in Egypt Eritrea Mali northern Sudan Cote dIvoire Central African Republic and Yemen found that the following percentages of women have undergone some form of female genital mutilation (FGM): 97% in Egypt 95% in Eritrea 94% in Mali 89% in northern Sudan and 43% in Cote dIvoire and the Central African Republic. No data were collected on the prevalence of FGM in Yemen. Except for the 56% of women in Central African Republic and the 60% of women in Yemen who oppose FGM the majority of women in these countries of high FGM prevalence believe the practice of FGM should continue. Women who support continuation of the practice often cite custom or tradition while those who oppose it often point to health risks. Comparisons between age groups found few generational differences in the proportion of women who had undergone FGM. There is however some evidence of a decline in the practice of FGM in the Central African Republic as well as of a decline in the incidence of infibulation in Sudan.