Men in their roles as fathers, husbands, community and
religious leaders may play a pivotal part in the continuation of female genital
mutilation (FGM). However, the research on their views of FGM and their
potential role in its abandonment are not well described.
We undertook a systematic review of all publications between
2004 and 2014 that explored men’s attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours in regards
to FGM, as well as their ideas about FGM prevention and abandonment.
We included twenty peer-reviewed articles from 15 countries
in the analysis. Analysis revealed ambiguity of men’s wishes in regards to the
continuation of FGM. Many men wished to abandon this practice because of the
physical and psychosexual complications to both women and men. Social
obligation and the silent culture between the sexes were posited as major
obstacles for change. Support for abandonment was influenced by notions of
social obligation, religion, education, ethnicity, urban living, migration, and
understanding of the negative sequelae of FGM. The strongest influence was
education.
The level of education of men was one of the most important
indicators for men’s support for abandonment of FGM. Social obligation and the
lack of dialogue between men and women were two key issues that men
acknowledged as barriers to abandonment. Advocacy by men and collaboration
between men and women’s health and community programs may be important steps
forward in the abandonment process.
Full article
at:
By:
1Sydney Medical School, Discipline of
Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Sydney, Sydney 2006, NSW, Australia
2Centre for Midwifery, Child and Family
Health, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW,
Australia
3Centre for Clinical Epidemiology &
Biostatistics, School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health and
Medicine, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia
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