Female genital mutilation in the Sudan: survey of the attitude of Khartoum university students towards this practice

Abstract

Background: Female genital mutilation (FGM) or female circumcision is the removal of variable amounts of tissue from the female external genitalia. It is practised all over the world on very young girls. This study was conducted in Sudan where FGM is a criminal offence and not a religious dictate. We assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of this practice among Khartoum university students and compared the differences between male and female student responses. Methods: An anonymised detailed questionnaire was distributed among the university students. In addition to the participant's age, marital status, course studying, details regarding their attitude, knowledge of the practice of FGM, and their own experiences were collected. Results: Of the 500 questionnaires distributed, 414 (82.8%) were returned from 192 (46%) females and 222 (54%) males. 109 (56.8%) of the female respondents were themselves circumcised.18.8% of the male students and 9.4% of the female students thought FGM was recommended by their religion. Only 90 (46.9%) female students compared with 133 (59.9%) male students thought FGM was illegal. Though 16 (8.3%) female respondents thought FGM would increase their chances of marriage, the majority, 166 (74.8%), of the male students would prefer a non-circumcised female. Conclusions: This study shows that 109 (56.8%) female university students who responded were circumcised. Confusing religious messages and ambiguous laws seem to be responsible for the continuation of this practice. The study highlights the partnership that needs to be established between religious leaders and educationalists to end this medieval practice.

Knowledge and attitudes of female genital mutilation among midwives in Eastern Sudan

“…In Sudan there is lack of support by religion and law to fight the FGM practice and we believe that the confusing role of the religion and ambiguous law are essential reasons for the continuation of the FGM practice. Thus involvement of religion persons and educationalists together with a clear cut law to punish the circumcisers will decrease its prevalence in this country [6]. …”

“…Female genital mutilation in Sudan is performed irrespective of females’ social or religious groups and the law in the Sudan forbids the practice of FGM. In the present there is no governmental or social attempt to eliminate the practice and the uncircumcised girl looks odd and unmarriageable [5,6]. Thus the current study is directed to assess knowledge and attitudes of the midwives towards FGM and it is expected to provide the health planners with fundamental data for the development of strategies that might reduce this practice.…”

Male perspectives on FGM among communities of African heritage in Italy

“…On the other hand, they often referred to the hadiths to justify the acceptance of the practice by Islam (Hadiths: stories handed down orally and later recorded, related to the actions and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, which represent, after the Qur'an, the second source of Islamic teachings) (Scolart, 2004). The perception of the practice as an Islamic requirement has been reported among men in Sudan (Almroth et al, 2001;Herieka and Dhar, 2003;Berggren et al, 2006) and Gambia (Kaplan et al, 2013). Interviews with 222 male university students in Khartoum, Sudan, found that only 14 percent supported the practice.…”

“…Interviews with 222 male university students in Khartoum, Sudan, found that only 14 percent supported the practice. Among these, 77.4 percent believed it is dictated by Islam (Herieka and Dhar, 2003). Berggren et al found that religion was invoked by men as an argument both for and against the practice and many of them claimed that the close link between religion, culture and tradition is an obstacle to changing the tradition (Berggren et al, 2006): those men who wanted their daughter to undergo FGM/C, preferred clitoridectomy (often called sunna) with a belief that it is required by Islam.…”

“…In a cross-sectional survey on 492 Somali men and women who took refuge in Ethiopia, the intention to subject their daughter to FGM/C was significantly lower in men (75.2 percent) than in women (91.1 percent) (Mitike and Deressa, 2009). Some studies showed that mothers and grandmothers often decide to carry out the practice and, fathers and grandfathers, have a lesser role in this decision (Herieka and Dhar, 2003;Berggren et al, 2006;Shell-Duncan and Herniund, 2006;Amusan and Asekun, 2007). A qualitative research conducted in Senegal and Gambia, found that fathers were less in favor of continuing the practice than mothers.…”