Female Genital Mutilation In Egypt Research Articles

Graphic Medicine as a Wake-up Call to Stand Against Female Genital Mutilation in Egypt

FGM, Female Genital Mutilation, is one of the most prevalent types of violence against girls and women in Egypt. Despite its horrific short- and long-term physical and psychological complications, according to UNICEF data reports, FGM remains widely practised against girls and women aged 15-49 in around 30 countries in Africa and Asia (UNICEF Egypt Data Snapshot, 2019). Non-medical, primarily, social and cultural beliefs that are associated with girls’ and women’s chastity, marriageability, hygiene and honour continue to control the lives of millions of them and, in some cases, lead to their death. November 25, 2021 marked the 30th anniversary of the global 16 days campaign of activism which was launched by the Centre for Women’s Leadership to raise awareness about violence against women worldwide. In Egypt, this year, among several events that commemorate the anniversary, Care Egypt Foundation in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the National Committee for the Eradication of Female Genital Mutilation (NCEFGM), launched a social media campaign against FGM entitled “My Story with Genital Mutilation” (Care Egypt, 2021). The campaign’s team gathered eight real-life stories of Egyptian women survivors and collaborated with artist Noran Fikri who drew the graphic artwork. In this research project, I argue that the aim of choosing graphic drawings for that campaign is twofold: 1) drawing real-life stories of Egyptian FGM survivors empowers thousands of girls/women to break their silence, and report about similar practices which may prevent potential victims from undergoing such abuse; 2) this campaign aims to reach large numbers of social platform users, to make FGM everyone’s problem in Egypt, in the hope of shifting the narrative from chiefly raising awareness about performing such violent practices into inspiring mainly not Non-Government Organizations, lawmakers or national officials but individuals—whether directly harmed or not—to take an action against FGM. I also suggest that this eight-graphic-stories collection is a representation of a graphic medicine movement in Egypt. Coined in 2010 by Ian Williams, Graphic Medicine is “the intersection of the medium of comics and the discourse of healthcare… a community where many people have found their voice” (Czerwiec et al, 2015, p. 1). The graphic form lends a fresh perspective on FGM survivors’ personal physical, psychological and mental suffering. It softly invites other women survivors to share their stories. Since it is a social media campaign, each of these eight very short stories is illustrated in a one-page graphic artwork, in a short, quick yet shocking and horrifying emotion-packed post. The graphic visual delineation of the memory of pain and hurt of such abuse which those women are forced to live with, subtly connect them to their fellow survivors in a manner that words cannot attain.

Bein Bahrain1: Representation and Local Situation: Female Circumcision in Egypt from a Cross-Cultural Perspective

Representation, which is affected by global discourse about female circumcision, does not reflect the reality of the practice. This study focuses on female genital mutilation (FGM) in Egypt, particularly the gap between the representation of female circumcision and the local situation. Applying description design and based on the regional context, the study sheds light on problems pertaining to the representation of female circumcision according to two dimensions. The first dimension concerns data representation of female circumcision from a cross-cultural perspective and the second dimension examines female circumcision with reference to the film Bein Bahrain. This study aims to contribute to research that provides a space for dialogue in relation to the cultural backgrounds of each region and to identify the policies that are appropriate for each region. It was found that there are treatments in the world that are not dissimilar to FGM. However, these treatments are not considered concerning in the same way that FGM by the United Nations. Thus, in addition to the four types of FGM classified by the World Health Organization (WHO), there are two types of female circumcision based on implementation: First World implementation and Third World implementation. Furthermore, it became clear that the media representation which promotes a zero-tolerance policy does not reflect the reality of FGM in Egypt. The study concludes that there is an urgent need to reconsider the zero-tolerance policy to protect the lives of many girls.

Prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation, and Women’s Knowledge, Attitude, and Intention to Practice in Egypt: A Nationwide Survey

Background: Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a human rights violation of girls and women and quite common in several countries, including Egypt. Objective(s): To estimate the prevalence of FGM among Egyptian females, to assess their knowledge, attitude, and intention to practice FGM, and to determine their possible correlates. Methods: A total of 770 females aged 15 - 49 years attending the family health centers at five randomly selected Egyptian governorates representing the different provinces of Egypt were included. A cross-sectional study design was used. A predesigned structured interviewing questionnaire was utilized to collect data on socio-demographic characteristics, females’ knowledge and attitude regarding FGM, and their intention to practice FGM. Special scoring systems were developed regarding knowledge and attitude. Results: The prevalence of FGM was 74.2%. Only 5.7% of females had a good level of knowledge, 65.3% had a favorable attitude regarding (i.e. were against) FGM, and 31.8% reported that they intended to practice FGM. Logistic regression models showed that younger age, rural area of residence, and level of education (illiteracy or just reading and writing) were significantly associated with a poor level of knowledge, and level of education, marital status, exposure to mutilation, and level of knowledge significantly affected their attitude. Significant predictors of females’ intention to practice were their mutilation experience, level of knowledge, and attitude and husband’s pressure to perform FGM. Conclusion: FGM remains common in Egypt. Poor knowledge and unfavorable attitude had a positive significant correlation, and both were among the predictors of females’ intention to practice mutilation. Males played a role in the continuation of practice in the community. Awareness campaigns and law enforcement may help reduce the practice of FGM in Egypt.

IS THE TABOO OF FEMALE SEXUALITY THE SOLE REASON FOR THE CONTINUATION OF FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION IN EGYPT?

As the first conviction of FGM in the U.K. proves, female genital mutilation is a ‘harmful cultural practice’ that persists across the world. Egypt has one of the highest rates of FGM in the world. Based on a variety of different studies and questionnaires undertaken in doctors’ surgeries and hospitals across the country, three clear reasons are given for the continuation of the practice. These are the belief that it is decreed by Islam, that it is a tradition and to preserve young women’s chastity as it would reduce their sexual desire. The overarching theme of these justifications is the fear and control of female sexuality, given the teachings of modesty in the Qur’an and the importance of chastity in order to obtain a good marriage in Egyptian society. However, the Qur’an does not condone female genital mutilation or mention it. Additionally, the Qur’an promotes sexual fulfilment and positivity within the confines of marriage for both men and women which directly conflicts with the consequences of FGM. The importance of honour and the preservation of chastity in Egyptian society continues to prevail in modern Egyptian society, and medicalisation legitimises the practice among the educated elite. However, this work hopes to prove that certain interpretations of certain aspects of the Qur’an and the hadith and Sunnah have led to the need to control female sexuality, and these beliefs are intertwined with tradition and result in the continuation of female genital mutilation in Egypt.

Trends in attitudes towards female genital mutilation among ever-married Egyptian women, evidence from the Demographic and Health Surveys, 1995-2014: paths of change.

BackgroundOver the past few decades Egypt has attempted to limit and control female genital mutilation (FGM). However, these efforts have not succeeded in curbing the practice, which maintains wide popular support and is firmly embedded in local traditions and structures. An attitudinal change is therefore a prerequisite for any successful campaign against FGM. This paper charts the evolution of beliefs that the practice of FGM in Egypt should be stopped.MethodThis paper examines trends in opposition to FGM among ever-married women in Egypt between 1995 and 2014, using six waves of the Egypt Demographic and Health Surveys.ResultsThe results show that the percentage of ever-married women who think the practice of FGM should be stopped rose from 13.9 % in 1995 to 31.3 % in 2014. The central question here is whether this trend exists because new cohorts of young married women are more modern and more opposed to the practice, or because opposition to FGM has spread through multiple segments of society. Our results show that back in 1995 opposition to FGM was concentrated in two groups: non-circumcised women, and wealthy, highly educated urban women. Between 1995 and 2014 opposition to FGM increased considerably among other groups of women.ConclusionOur results show that the observed increases in opposition to FGM are not caused by younger cohorts of married women who oppose FGM, nor by the expansion of the groups most likely to oppose FGM. Rather, the results imply that the belief that FGM should be stopped spread to all walks of life, although poorly educated rural women remain least likely to oppose FGM.

Women's position and attitudes towards female genital mutilation in Egypt: A secondary analysis of the Egypt demographic and health surveys, 1995-2014.

BackgroundFemale genital mutilation (FGM) is still widespread in Egyptian society. It is strongly entrenched in local tradition and culture and has a strong link to the position of women. To eradicate the practice a major attitudinal change is a required for which an improvement in the social position of women is a prerequisite. This study examines the relationship between Egyptian women’s social positions and their attitudes towards FGM, and investigates whether the spread of anti-FGM attitudes is related to the observed improvements in the position of women over time.MethodsChanges in attitudes towards FGM are tracked using data from the Egypt Demographic and Health Surveys from 1995 to 2014. Multilevel logistic regressions are used to estimate 1) the effects of indicators of a woman’s social position on her attitude towards FGM, and 2) whether these effects change over time.ResultsLiterate, better educated and employed women are more likely to oppose FGM. Initially growing opposition to FGM was related to the expansion of women’s education, but lately opposition to FGM also seems to have spread to other segments of Egyptian society.ConclusionsThe improvement of women’s social position has certainly contributed to the spread of anti-FGM attitudes in Egyptian society. Better educated and less traditional women were at the heart of this change, and formed the basis from where anti-FGM sentiment has spread over wider segments of Egyptian society.

Female Genital Mutilation in Egypt (Compared to Burkina Faso)

Female Genital Mutilation in Egypt (Compared to Burkina Faso)

Women's attitudes towards discontinuation of female genital mutilation in Egypt

:Background: To examine women's attitude towards discontinuation of female genital mutilation (FGM) in association with their access to information, knowledge of health effects and cultural beliefs concerning FGM in Egypt. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 9159 women, using data from the household survey in Egypt by Demographic and Health survey 2003. A comprehensive questionnaire covering attitudes towards FGM, demographics, and access to information was used. Chi-square analysis and logistic regression were applied to investigate how demographics, level of education, access to information, knowledge of health consequences and cultural beliefs influence women's attitudes towards FGM. Results: Among the demographic variables, discontinuation of FGM was independently associated with urban residency and post-secondary education. Moreover, women who were informed by the media, and those who had attended community meetings, church, or mosque where FGM was discussed, as well as women who were aware of the negative health consequences of FGM, were more likely to support discontinuation of FGM. By contrast, women with positive cultural conceptions of FGM were less likely to favor its discontinuation. Conclusions: Public education and information dissemination aiming to change current cultural notions favoring FGM practice - through community and religious leaders, and radio and television programs - may play an important role in modifying women's attitudes towards FGM. These findings have some implications for intervention and policy.

The political and legal struggle over female genital mutilation in Egypt: Five years since the ICPD

Five years after the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, it is time to evaluate where Egyptian activism has brought the millions of Egyptian girls who are exposed to female circumcision, female tahara (purity), female genital cutting or female genital mutilation (FGM). Whatever we decide to call it, it remains the same procedure: the ‘trimming’ of the female genitalia to convey a message of control over the sexuality and social position of women and girls. Women themselves appear to defend this painful custom and take part in performing it on others. This is because the issue goes beyond genital mutilation and has to do with women's perception of their role in the world. At the ICPD, NGOs gained space to participate and issues like reproductive rights, abortion and FGM were the subject of heated discussion. Since then, FGM has become a highly politicised issue in Egypt, reflecting a range of political agendas on the status of women and feminist issues. The FGM Task Force has become a reference point for activism against FGM in Egypt. Our approach has taken a new turn: human rights and women's rights have become central themes, linked with health and development-related aspects.

Female circumcision is curbed in Egypt

In the wake of the death of an 11-year-old girl the Egyptian government has banned any government-affiliated medical staff from performing female circumcision. Egyptian health policy has shifted from trying to control the practice by keeping it under government supervision towards condemnation. In October 1995 the health minister banned female circumcision from being carried out in state hospitals, a direct reversal of a 1994 decree that asked state hospitals to set aside one day a week for performing the procedure. The further restriction follows an incident in July 1996 when an 11-year-old girl bled to death in the rural area of Mansoora after being circumcised by a barber. Female genital mutilation in Egypt changed from an accepted custom to a political hot topic after the news network CNN in September 1994 featured the circumcision of a 9-year-old girl from Cairo. The footage embarrassed Egyptians and fueled an outcry by women's groups and nongovernmental organizations. Statistics compiled in 1994 by Egypt's former ministry of population estimated that between 70% and 90% of Egyptian women were circumcised. But a more recent survey puts the figure even higher, with 97% of women in both rural and urban areas having been circumcised. Circumcisions range from clitoridectomies to almost total removal of the outside genitalia. The practice seems to be rooted in both African tradition and Islamic beliefs, although many Islamic countries do not practice female circumcision. The main motivation seems to be in controlling women's sexual urges, and the belief that circumcision makes a woman more feminine. A university professor of gynecology teaches his medical students that circumcision is healthier for the woman. Most circumcisions in Egypt are performed by barbers or midwives, despite a sporadically enforced law forbidding the operation by anyone but a trained medical staff member. There is a high rate of complications, with some operations leading to infertility. Groups like the Population Council hope that further education and public debate will help to stop the practice.

Education programme against female genital mutilation in Egypt

Education programme against female genital mutilation in Egypt