Gynecology & Obstetrics
Open Access
ISSN: 2161-0932
ISSN: 2161-0932
Aya M E Mudawi, Aya Elhag Adam Yousif, Ethar A A Abdulmajid
Introduction & Objective: Sudan is considered the 5th country among 29 countries in Africa and the middle east that still believe in Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) with prevalence of 88% according to the UNICEF in 2013. FGM is deeply fixed in the cultural and religious beliefs and widely performed among the young females in Sudan despite its commonly known complications. The objective of the study is to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of Al Undub Abo-kleio native villagers toward the FGM performance, stigma of not doing it and the willingness to stop it in the future. Method: Community based cross-sectional descriptive study at Al Undub Abo-kleio village on November 2018. A convenient sampling was applied and a KAP questionnaire designed by the authors with full knowledge of FGM was used. The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) to find the correlation between the various variables. Ethical clearance was obtained from Department of Community Medicine, University of Khartoum. Results: The participants were 163, 55.9% were females and 44.1% were males. 99% know what FGM is and about 43% of them with it, while 57% were against. 84% had a good knowledge of FGM complications 53.3% of them had already circumcised their daughters and 46.2% will do. There is a statistically significant association between religious perception as a cause of FGM and sex preferring males (chi square value=6.101, p value=0.014), and between traditions as a cause of FGM and sex preferring females (chi square value=4.886, p value=0.025). In our study, 90% of the females were circumcised; the first decision maker of circumcision was the mother with percent of 78.9%. 49.4% of the females said that circumcision increase their marriage chances. 50% of males said that they prefer circumcised women, 39.6% of them do that from a religious point of view. Conclusion: Study findings show a concerning rate of support and practice towards FGM among native villagers in Al Undub Abo-kleio village in the center of Sudan. This study also shows the ignorance regarding FGM health consequences, inspite of the awareness and the suffering from the immediate and long-term complications. These results indicate an urgent need to develop effective strategies to educate and prevent the practice of FGM and ensure proper management of its consequences, especially in rural areas.
Published Date: 2020-08-31; Received Date: 2020-08-01