Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-7cvxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T17:20:59.641Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

ATTITUDES OF CIRCUMCISED WOMEN TOWARDS DISCONTINUATION OF GENITAL CUTTING OF THEIR DAUGHTERS IN KENYA

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 July 2014

SHRABONI PATRA  and
RAKESH KUMAR SINGH
SHRABONI PATRA*
Affiliation:
International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai, India
RAKESH KUMAR SINGH
Affiliation:
International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai, India
*
1Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Female genital cutting (FGC) is widely practised in Kenya. However, its prevalence has declined over the last two decades (38.0% in 1998 KDHS, 32.2% in 2003 KDHS and 27.1% in 2008–09 KDHS), implying changes in behaviours and attitudes of Kenyans towards FGC. This study provides an overview of changing attitudes of women towards FGC in Kenya. An extensive literature review was undertaken and 2008–09 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey data were used to focus on the present scenario. Analyses were based on a national sample of 2284 circumcised women. About 68% of these women wanted to discontinue FGC, and attitudes towards discontinuation were found to vary with women's background characteristics. Surprisingly, 92.5% of circumcised women of the North-Eastern province still wished to continue FGC, and for Muslims the percentage was 72.2%. About 36% of circumcised women responded that their daughters were already circumcised. Only 13% of circumcised mothers intended their daughters to be circumcised in the future. The study shows that the attitude of Kenyan women, irrespective of their circumcision status, has been changing gradually towards the discontinuation of circumcision of their daughters.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 47 , Issue 1 , January 2015 , pp. 45 - 60
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abdi, M. R. (2007) A Religious Oriented Approach to Addressing FGM/C among the Somali Community of Wajir, Kenya. Frontiers in Reproductive Health, Population Council, USAID.Google Scholar
Ali, A. A. (2012) Knowledge and attitudes of female genital mutilation among midwives in Eastern Sudan. Reproductive Health 9, 23.Google Scholar
Allen, K., Denise, K., Diakides, V., Waritay, J. & Wilson, A. M. (2013) Country Profile: FGM in Kenya. Twenty Eight Too Many. FGM – Let's End It. URL: http://28toomany.org/media/uploads/final_kenya_country_profile_may_2013.pdfGoogle Scholar
Askew, L. (2007) Knowledge Gaps about FGM/C that could be Addressed through Research. USAID, Population Council, Nairobi, Kenya. URL: http://www.popcouncil.org/pdfs/2007RHKenyaFGMSituationAnalysis.pdfGoogle Scholar
Barstow, D. G. (1999) Female genital mutilation: the penultimate gender abuse. Child Abuse 23(5), 501–510.Google Scholar
Chalmers, B. & Hashi, K. O. (2000) 432 Somali women's birth experiences in Canada after earlier female genital mutilation. Birth 27(4), 227–234.Google Scholar
Chebet, S. K. (2009) Dynamics of Traditional Practices: The Case of Tumndo Ne Leel: A Coming of Age Concept Among the Kalenjin Community of Kenya. Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). URL: http://international.iupui.edu/kenya/resources/Dynamics-of-Traditional-Practices.pdfGoogle Scholar
Cheserem, S. (2011) Female genital mutilation in Kenya: a literature review. Bachelor Thesis, Degree of Nursing, Turku University of Applied Sciences. URL: http://publications.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/26244/CHESEREM.SARAH-PDF.pdf?sequence=1.Google Scholar
Crowe, S. & Melching, M. (2005) Ending Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting in Senegal. UNICEF. URL: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/senegal_30046.htmlGoogle Scholar
Eke, N. (2000) Female genital mutilation: what can be done? Lancet 356(s), 57–57.Google Scholar
FRONTIERS, UNAIDS & Reproductive Health Program of GTZ Kenya (2006) Female Genital Mutilation in Kenya. FGM Policy Brief, FRONTIERS in Reproductive Health Programme of the Population Council, the United States Agency of International Development (USAID) and the Reproductive Health Program of GTZ Kenya. URL: www.popcouncil.org/pdfs/2006RH_FGMPolicyBrief.pdfGoogle Scholar
Gele, A. A., Kumar, B., Hjelde, K. H. & Sundby, J. (2012) Attitudes toward female circumcision among Somali immigrants in Oslo: a qualitative study. International Journal on Women's Health 4, 7–17.Google Scholar
Jaldesa, I. A., Guyo, W., Njue, C. & Wanjiru, M. (2005) Female Genital Cutting among the Somali of Kenya and Management of its Complications. Frontiers Report, USAID. URL: http://www.popcouncil.org/pdfs/frontiers/FR_FinalReports/Kenya_Somali.pdfGoogle Scholar
KDHS (1998) Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 1998. NDPD, CBS and Macro International, Calverton, MD.Google Scholar
KDHS (2003) Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2003. CBS, Ministry of Health (MOH) Kenya and ORC Macro, Calverton, MD.Google Scholar
KDHS (2008–09) Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2008–09. Kenya Demographic and Health Survey Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) and ICF Macro, Calverton, MD.Google Scholar
Kunnskapssenteret (2009) Effectiveness of Interventions Designed to Reduce the Prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting. Systematic review, Norwegian Knowledge Centre for the Health Services, Report No. 25-2009. URL: http://www.kunnskapssenteret.no.Google Scholar
Landinfo (2008) Report on Female Genital Mutilation in Sudan and Somalia. LANDINFO, Country of Origin Information Centre.Google Scholar
Lane, S. & Rubinstein, R. A. (1996) Judging the other: responding to traditional female genital surgeries. Hastings Center Report 26(3), 31–40.Google Scholar
Livermore, L., Monteiro, R. & Rymer, J. (2007) Attitudes and awareness of female genital mutilation: a questionnaire-based study in a Kenyan hospital. Journal of Obstretics and Gynaecology 27(8), 816–818.Google Scholar
Mackie, G. & LeJeune, J. (2008) Social dynamics of abandonment of harmful practices: a new look at the theory. Innocenti Working Paper No. XXX. UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, Florence.Google Scholar
Maslovskaya, O., Brown, J. J. & Padmadas, S. S. (2009) Disentangling the complex association between female genital cutting and HIV among Kenyan women. Journal of Biosocial Science 41, 815–830.Google Scholar
Matovu, M. (2011) Kenya Passes Anti-FGM Law: Will it Stop the Cut? Report by MRG's Africa Regional Information Officer. URL: www.pdnkenya.org/kenya%20pases%20fgm.pdfGoogle Scholar
Ministry of Health (1999) National Plan of Action for the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation in Kenya. Ministry of Health Kenya.Google Scholar
Norman, K., Hemmings, J., Hussein, E. & Otoo-Oyortey, N. (2009) FGM is Always With Us: Experiences, Perceptions and Beliefs of Women Affected by Female Genital Mutilation in London. Results from a PEER Study, Options Consultancy Services and FORWARD. URL: http://www.forwarduk.org.uk/download/161Google Scholar
Oloo, H., Wanjiru, M. & Newell-Jones, K. (2001) Female Genital Mutilation Practices in Kenya: The Role of Alternative Rites of Passage. A Case Study of Kisii and Kuria Districts: Feed the Minds. Population Council. URL: http://www.feedtheminds.org/downloads/FGM%20Report_March2011.pdfCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Philp, H. R. A. (1925) Artificial atresia in Kikuyu women. Kenya Medical Journal II, 86–87. In Thomas, L. M.(1998) Imperial concerns and women's affairs': state efforts to regulate clitoridectomy and eradicate abortion in Meru, Kenya, c. 1910–1950. Journal of African History 39(1), 121–145.Google Scholar
Population Reference Bureau. (2001) Abandoning Female Genital Cutting: Prevalence, Attitudes and Efforts to End the Practice. PRB, Washington, DC. URL: http://www.prb.org/pdf/AbandoningFGC_Eng.pdfGoogle Scholar
Radeny, S. (2001) Helping communities change traditions: lessons from a Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Eradication project in Kenya. PATH, Paper presented at the Global Health Council Conference, Washington, DC. In Population Reference Bureau (2001) Abandoning Female Genital Cutting: Prevalence, Attitudes and Efforts to End the Practice. PRB, Washington, DC. URL: http://www.prb.org/pdf/AbandoningFGC_Eng.pdfGoogle Scholar
Schmidt, G. (2005) Female Circumcision – the Ethical Debate to Keep or Abolish the Practice. Saint Mary's University of Minnesota, USA and Tangaza College, Nairobi, Kenya. URL: http://www.comboni.de/literatur/schmidt_gregor_female_circumsision.pdfGoogle Scholar
Shell-Duncan, B., Obiero, W. O. & Muruli, L. A. (2001) Women without choices: the debate over medicalization of female genital cutting and its impact on a northern Kenyan community. In Shell-Duncan, B. & Hernlund, Y. (eds) Female ‘Circumcision’ in Africa: Culture, Controversy, and Change. Lynne Reiner Publishers, Boulder, CO.Google Scholar
Thomas, L. M. (1998) Imperial concerns and women's affairs': state efforts to regulate clitoridectomy and eradicate abortion in Meru, Kenya, c. 1910–1950. Journal of African History 39(1), 121–145.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
UNFPA (2007) Programming to Address Violence against Women, Chapter: 6. URL: http://www.unfpa.org/webdav/site/global/shared/documents/publications/2007/vaw_10cases.pdfGoogle Scholar
UNFPA (2008) Legislative Reform in Kenya to Speed up Abandonment of FGM/C. Strong Government Policy to Support New Law. URL: http://www.unfpa.org/gender/docs/fgmc_kit/Kenya-1.pdf.Google Scholar
Utrikesperspektiv (2012) Changing Perception – Female Circumcision in Kenya. The Lund Association of Foreign Affairs. Utrikesperspektiv.se. URL: http://www.upflund.se/utrikesperspektiv/2012/3/23/changing-perceptions-female-circumcision-in-kenya.html#.Udf3l_ne4YRGoogle Scholar
Wakabi, W. (2007) Africa battles to make female genital mutilation history. Lancet 369(9567), 1069–1070.Google Scholar
Wangila, M. N. (2007) Female Circumcision: The Interplay of Religion, Culture, and Gender in Kenya. Orbis Books, Maryknoll, New York.Google Scholar
WHO (1998) Female Genital Mutilation: An Overview. WHO, Geneva. URL: https://apps.who.int/dsa/cat98/fgmbook.htm.Google Scholar
WHO (2001) Female Genital Mutilation. Integrating the Prevention and the Management of the Health Complications into the Curricula of Nursing and Midwifery. A student manual. WHO/FCH/GWH/01.4, WHO/RHR/01.17, Geneva.Google Scholar
WHO, UNICEF & UNFPA (1997) Female Genital Mutilation: A Joint WHO/UNICEF/UNFPA Statement. WHO, Geneva.Google Scholar