FGM/C decision-making process and the role of gender power relations in Sudan

This study by the Population Council, Nairobi and partners aimed to contribute to a better understanding of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in Sudan and the way different families perceive the practice and make FGM/C-related decisions. The ultimate goal was to inform interventions aimed at accelerating the pace of positive behavioral and social norm change and eventually promote the abandonment of all forms of FGM/C in Sudan. The findings indicate that although parents often make the final decision to cut or not cut their daughters, they do not act in isolation but are influenced by dominant social norms and by other family members who are also influenced by other people and factors and norms. In general, the widespread support and practice of FGM/C in the research area is perpetuated and sustained by deeply rooted social norms and gender power structures that center on the need to reduce women’s sexual desire in order to protect them. The report includes programmatic, research, and policy implications resulting from the research