Female genital mutilation/cutting in Sierra Leone: are educated women intending to circumcise their daughters?

Ameyaw, EK; Tetteh, JK; Armah-Ansah, EK; Aduo-Adjei, K; Sena-Iddrisu, A

Female genital mutilation/cutting in Sierra Leone: are educated women intending to circumcise their daughters?

Ameyaw, EK Tetteh, JK Armah-Ansah, EK Aduo-Adjei, K Sena-Iddrisu, A

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Publisher:: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: BMC international health and human rights, 2020, 20, (1)
Issue Date:: 2020-07-23

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Ameyaw, EK
dc.contributor.author	Tetteh, JK
dc.contributor.author	Armah-Ansah, EK
dc.contributor.author	Aduo-Adjei, K
dc.contributor.author	Sena-Iddrisu, A
dc.date.accessioned	2020-08-18T02:03:07Z
dc.date.available	2020-07-15
dc.date.available	2020-08-18T02:03:07Z
dc.date.issued	2020-07-23
dc.identifier.citation	BMC international health and human rights, 2020, 20, (1)
dc.identifier.issn	1472-698X
dc.identifier.issn	1472-698X
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/142167
dc.description.abstract	BACKGROUND:Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) has been recognized as a gross violation of human rights of girls and women. This is well established in numerous international legal instruments. It forms part of the initiation ceremony that confers womanhood in Sierra Leone. Girls and women who are subjected to this practice are considered to be ready for marriage by their parents and communities and are rewarded with celebrations, gifts, and public recognition. Following this, we examined the relationship between education and women's FGM/C intention for their daughters in Sierra Leone. METHODS:We used cross-sectional data from the women's file of the 2013 Sierra Leone Demographic and Health Survey (SLDHS) to explore the influence of education on FGM/C intention among women in the reproductive age (15-49). A sample of 6543 women were included in the study. Our analysis involved descriptive computation of education and FGM/C intention. This was followed by a two-level multilevel analysis. Fixed effect results were reported as Odds Ratios and Adjusted Odds Ratios with their respective credible intervals (CrIs) whilst results of the random effects were presented as variance partition coefficients and median odds ratios. RESULTS:Our findings showed that women who had no formal education were more likely to intend to circumcise their daughters [aOR = 4.3, CrI = 2.4-8.0]. Among the covariates, women aged 20-24 [aOR = 2.3, CrI = 1.5-3.4] were more likely to intend to circumcise their daughters compared to women between 45 and 49 years old. Poorest women were more likely to report intention of circumcising their daughters in the future compared with the richest [aOR = 2.1, CrI = 1.3-3.2]. We noted that, 63.3% of FGM/C intention in Sierra Leone is attributable to contextual factors. CONCLUSION:FGM/C intention is more common among women with no education, younger women as well as women in the lowest wealth category. We recommend segmented female-child educational and pro-poor policies that target uneducated women in Sierra Leone. The study further suggests that interventions to end FGM/C need to focus on broader contextual and social norms in Sierra Leone.
dc.format	Electronic
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	Springer Science and Business Media LLC
dc.relation.ispartof	BMC international health and human rights
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1186/s12914-020-00240-0
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.rights	This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in BMC international health and human rights. The final authenticated version is available online at: https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12914-020-00240-0.	en_US
dc.subject	1117 Public Health and Health Services
dc.subject.classification	Public Health
dc.title	Female genital mutilation/cutting in Sierra Leone: are educated women intending to circumcise their daughters?
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	20
utslib.location.activity	England
utslib.for	1117 Public Health and Health Services
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
pubs.consider-herdc	false
dc.date.updated	2020-08-18T02:02:51Z
pubs.issue	1
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	20
utslib.citation.issue	1

Abstract:

BACKGROUND:Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) has been recognized as a gross violation of human rights of girls and women. This is well established in numerous international legal instruments. It forms part of the initiation ceremony that confers womanhood in Sierra Leone. Girls and women who are subjected to this practice are considered to be ready for marriage by their parents and communities and are rewarded with celebrations, gifts, and public recognition. Following this, we examined the relationship between education and women's FGM/C intention for their daughters in Sierra Leone. METHODS:We used cross-sectional data from the women's file of the 2013 Sierra Leone Demographic and Health Survey (SLDHS) to explore the influence of education on FGM/C intention among women in the reproductive age (15-49). A sample of 6543 women were included in the study. Our analysis involved descriptive computation of education and FGM/C intention. This was followed by a two-level multilevel analysis. Fixed effect results were reported as Odds Ratios and Adjusted Odds Ratios with their respective credible intervals (CrIs) whilst results of the random effects were presented as variance partition coefficients and median odds ratios. RESULTS:Our findings showed that women who had no formal education were more likely to intend to circumcise their daughters [aOR = 4.3, CrI = 2.4-8.0]. Among the covariates, women aged 20-24 [aOR = 2.3, CrI = 1.5-3.4] were more likely to intend to circumcise their daughters compared to women between 45 and 49 years old. Poorest women were more likely to report intention of circumcising their daughters in the future compared with the richest [aOR = 2.1, CrI = 1.3-3.2]. We noted that, 63.3% of FGM/C intention in Sierra Leone is attributable to contextual factors. CONCLUSION:FGM/C intention is more common among women with no education, younger women as well as women in the lowest wealth category. We recommend segmented female-child educational and pro-poor policies that target uneducated women in Sierra Leone. The study further suggests that interventions to end FGM/C need to focus on broader contextual and social norms in Sierra Leone.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/142167