Factors associated with female genital mutilation in Burkina Faso and its policy implications

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is widely practiced in some parts of Africa, although it can cause immediate complications (pain, bleeding and infection) and delayed complications (sexual, obstetric, psychological problems). This article states that several varied and complex factors have been associated with an increased likelihood of FGM in Burkina Faso, where the prevalence of this harmful phenomenon appears to rise in recent years.

Making reference to a related survey conducted in Burkina Faso, the paper introduces these findings:

• 77% of the women interviewed had had FGM, and 30.2% had a daughter with FGM.
• age, religion, wealth, ethnicity, literacy, years of education, household affluence, region and who had responsibility for health care decisions in the household were all significantly related to these outcomes.
• concerning religion, education was significantly associated with a reduced likelihood of FGM only for Christian women.
  

Conclusions and policy implications: 

• although women from specific groups are less likely to have had FGM, it is still extremely common in Burkina Faso.
• deep cultural issues and strongly personally held beliefs are likely to be involved in the perpetuation of FGM.
• for Christian women, policy to reduce FGM should focus on education; for Muslim women, most benefits are likely to be gained from working with religious groups and leaders.
• ideally policy should also be sensitive to women’s beliefs and focus on ensuring that women are empowered to make their own decisions about FGM based on their own fully informed choices.
• a global effort to make significant progress in the areas of employment, poverty reduction and literacy, and encourage repudiation of FGM and support for change by religious leaders is a much more efficient solution.