Global attention has been drawn in recent years to the adverse health and social consequences of female genital cutting (FGC) that is commonly practiced in Africa and elsewhere. This paper reports on research directed at clarifying feasible means of preventing this practice. A longitudinal factorial cohort quasi-experiment is being developed in Kassena-Nankana District of northern Ghana by the Navrongo Health Research Centre, that aims to identify community-supported options for preventing FGC practice. Baseline survey and focus group research has been fielded to develop a multiple-component intervention strategy. Interviews were conducted among male and female respondents aged 12 and over. A survey sample of nearly 6000 individuals among households known to have at least one adolescent member recorded responses of men, women, and children to questions about social rationale supporting the practice, perceptions of acceptable ways to prevent it, and why educated women are less likely than uneducated women to undergo FGC. Results assess the relative feasibility of different intervention strategies: providing practitioners with alternative livelihoods, developing replacement puberty rites, educating parents/girls, or redirecting the role of traditional religious practitioners. Findings suggest that the incidence of FGC may erode if community public meetings (known as "durbars") can be organized by chiefs and elders. Findings also attest to the general want for schooling of girls. Results show the need for a multi-dimensional strategy with components directed at consensus building among influential patriarchal leaders, traditional religious practitioners, senior wives of extended family heads, and non-traditional elites such as school teachers and political leaders.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the learner will be able to: 1) discuss the application of social research to the development of a community-informed experiment; 2) list the pros and cons of particular FGC intervention strategies; 3) describe the process of developing an FGC intervention in collaboration with the community; 4) evaluate the support for and likelihood of success of suggested intervention strategies
Keywords: Female Genital Mutilation,
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.