TITLE:
Assessing the Knowledge and Intention towards the Continuation of FGM Practice among Young Girls in South West Nigeria
AUTHORS:
Rhoda Robinson, Oluwasijibomi Paul Ojajuni, Isaiah Oluwatobi Owolabi, Oluwatomi Olunuga, Emmanuel Iyiola Oni
KEYWORDS:
Female Genital Mutilation, Women, Girls, Harmful Traditional Practices
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.10 No.4,
April
21,
2022
ABSTRACT: Nigeria is the third largest country with women and
girls who have undergone FGM in the world with 21.6 million of them genitally
mutilated. Some studies have revealed that despite the increased sensitization
on the dangers of FGM, several women are still willing to continue the practice
of FGM. However, there are few or no studies that assessed the intention to
continue FGM practice among young girls who are future mothers and will be
responsible for making important decisions for their children. This study,
therefore, focused on assessing the knowledge and intention towards the
continuation of FGM practice among young girls in South-West Nigeria. This
study was a qualitative study conducted among young females aged 18 - 24 years
in Osun, Oyo and Ekiti state. Purposive sampling technique was used to select
participants who were interviewed. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and
cleaned for typographical and grammatical errors. The transcripts were coded
both inductively and deductively and thematic analysis was done on the coded
transcripts. In this study, few of the participants agreed that FGM can lead to
complications. Some of the complications stated were bleeding, painful
urination, the transmission of infections, HIV, pain during menstruation, death
and sexual displeasure. Majority of the study participants were not aware of
any available law and policies that protect women and girls from FGM. Almost
half of the young girls had the intention to continue FGM practice. This study
revealed that young girls have low knowledge of FGM and laws and policies
against the practice. Some of the girls have intention to continue the practice
of FGM despite the efforts of stakeholders across communities to raise
awareness on the dangers of FGM and the need for its abandonment. These
findings emphasize the importance of implementing interventions that focus on
educating young girls through school campaigns, peer teachings, and community
discussions to enhance girls’ understanding of FGM and available laws and
change their intention to continue FGM practice.