Medicalisation of female genital mutilation/cutting in Sudan: Shift in types and providers

This study by the Population Council and the Gender and Reproductive Health and Rights Resource and Advocacy Center aimed to inform the development of future interventions by generating evidence on the drivers of the shifts in the practice of female genital cutting/mutilation (FGM/C) in Sudan. Researchers conducted a community-based cross-sectional, comparative, mixed-methods study that examined shifts in the type of cut, its level and significance, as well as the supply and demand factors associated with medicalization. They also explored interventions and alternative approaches that may prevent medicalization and the sustenance of the practice of FGM/C, including re-infibulation. The study finds that FGM/C, while still prevalent in Sudan, is undergoing several shifts including changes in the type of cut and increasing medicalization of the practice, driven in part by social and religious norms coupled with an increased awareness of the health consequences of FGM/C. Study findings also suggest that while enforcing a punitive law against FGM/C may reduce the practice, this could also drive it underground