Young Somali girls want modern circumcision

Meaning-making of female genital cutting: children’s perception and acquired knowledge of the ritual

How do girls who have undergone female genital cutting understand the ritual? This study provides an analysis of the learning process and knowledge acquired in their meaning-making process. Eighteen participants were interviewed in qualitative indepth interviews. Women in Norway, mostly with Somali or Gambian backgrounds, were asked about their experiences of circumcision. Two different strateg...

Purified or mutilated? The discourse on female circumcision In Hargeysa, Somaliland

Background: Female circumcision is a practice which has existed for thousands of years and is carried out across Africa from the north eastern coast to the west coast. On the Horn of Africa nearly all Somali women are circumcised, most of which are infibulated. Aim: The aim of the study has been to reveal current views, public and political opinions and to explore how and by whom the discourse ...

Attitudes toward female circumcision among Somali immigrants in Oslo: a qualitative study

Due to its negative impact on public health, female circumcision (FC) has gained increased attention from international communities and the Norwegian public in recent decades. In 1995, the Norwegian government outlawed the practice and simultaneously developed a package of measures aimed at preventing and ultimately eradicating FC in Norway. Like many other Western countries, immigrants of Soma...

Female circumcision and reproductive health: practices, perceptions, and implications for access to health care amongst Somali women in Johannesburg

When female circumcision comes to the West: Attitudes toward the practice among Somali Immigrants in Oslo

BACKGROUND Female circumcision (FC) has lifelong adverse social and health consequences for women, and its abolition will not only enhance the health of children and women, but also promote gender equality. Like many other Western countries, Norway hosts a large proportion of immigrants from FC-practicing countries, though primarily from Somalia, which is the country with the highest prevalence...