Abstract
This paper draws on household data to examine the prevalence of female genital mutilation (FGM) in Senegal and the effectiveness of the country's anti-FGM law in dealing with actual breaches and providing protection to the victims. The 2010–2011 Senegal Demographic Health Survey and Multiple Indicators Cluster Survey (SDHS-MICS) covers 14,228 women and their daughters. Logistic regression was used to investigate the geographic distribution of FGM across regions. For the enforceability of anti-FGM, desk research was used. Overall prevalence among women and daughters was 28.1% and 6.2%, respectively. Significant factors were sociodemographics, ethnicity, and region. This analysis shows both advantages and vulnerabilities of the anti-FGM law in relation to the issue of enforcement. It indicates that the law falls short of offering adequate protection to potential victims. FGM is a cultural and social norm imbedded predominantly in rural settings and as such, drives resistance to jettisoning FGM. Legislation has been one of the driving forces behind the eradication of the practice.
Highlights
Female genital mutilation (FGM) has widely been described as female genital cutting (FGC) and refers to practices involving the partial or complete ablation of the external female sexual organs on non-medical grounds
The bivariate results show that, overall, 5,689 (i.e., 39.98%) of women had undergone female genital mutilation (FGM); 1,340 (9.4%) women reported that they had daughters who had undergone FGM, and 3,330 (23.4%) women reported that they intended the practice of FGM continue
The percentage of participants with no education was high (57.9%), and it was 75.4% among their partners; 49.3% of participants were living in an urban area, 95.4% were Muslim, 16.5% were in the poorest quintile of the wealth index, and 38.7% were from the Wolof ethnic group
Summary
Female genital mutilation (FGM) has widely been described as female genital cutting (FGC) and refers to practices involving the partial or complete ablation of the external female sexual organs on non-medical grounds. Some experts suggest that specialist surgeons can reverse many of the FGM consequences.[4,5] the view in this paper is that the procedure is irreversible and that the modern medical procedures cannot replace the natural clitoris and remove the long-term psychological and physical effects caused by FGM. Even if this was the case, such treatment may not be available in Senegal and other areas where FGM is prevalent. Maternal mortality ratio is estimated at 370 deaths of women per 100,000 live births.[26,27]
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