Abstract
Female genital mutilation has multiple adverse impacts on victims’ physical and psychosocial well-being. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and potential factors associated with female genital mutilation in Benin. A logistic regression was performed on the 2011 Benin Demographic and Health Survey dataset, using Stata 12. The dependent variable was based on participants’ declaration about the “Cut respondent’ question and was dichotomous (Yes/No). Independent variables were sociodemographic characteristics. A total of 11,008 women were selected, with 7.14% (CI 95% = [5.91, 8.60]) reported to be victims of female genital mutilation. The majority of the women were between 25 and 34 years old (34.5%), uneducated (54.6%), and married (51.3%). Women aged 35 to 49 were more likely to be victims of FGM than women aged 15 to 18 (OR = 5.43; CI 95% [3.77-7.82]). The risk of FGM was higher in married women (OR = 7.76) than those who had never been in a union, with the same trend observed for Muslim women (OR = 33.39) compared to followers of voodoo/traditional religion. Female genital mutilation is still practiced in Benin, especially in the north. This study reveals that factors such as marital status, religion, area of residence, level of education, ethnicity, and département of residence are associated with this practice. Therefore, they should be taken into account for effective interventions to eliminate it at national level.
Highlights
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is recognized as an international public health problem because of its adverse impact on the physical and psychosocial well-being of women, and the violation of their sexual and reproductive health rights [1,2,3,4,5,6]
The data in this study came from the fourth Demographic and Health Survey conducted in Benin (DHSB) that provided information on female genital mutilation
Our study showed that the prevalence of FGM was low among women under 25, which might suggest a decline in this practice in Benin among young people: women aged 25 and over were more likely to be circumcised than women aged 15 to 18
Summary
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is recognized as an international public health problem because of its adverse impact on the physical and psychosocial well-being of women, and the violation of their sexual and reproductive health rights [1,2,3,4,5,6]. Many studies have shown that FGM is associated with the formation of clitoral cysts, bleeding, fistulas, obstetric complications, urinary infections and retention, vaginal tears, and psychological trauma [5,6,7,8,9,10]. Despite these complications, this ancestral tradition continues to be widespread, in developing regions, including the Middle East and Southeast Asia, with a higher prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa. It is a major concern of various other human rights defenders, including
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