PERCEPTION OF FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION AMONG WOMEN OF CHILD BEARING AGE (15-45 YEARS) IN IDUMARELE, UROMI, EDO STATE

ABSTRACT

Female genital cutting are “all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical purposes”. WHO (2016) classifies female genital cutting into four major types namely: type 1 (clitoridectomy), type 2 (excision), type 3 (infibulation), type 4 (which comprises of all other harmful procedures performed on the female genitalia for non-medical purposes e.g piercing, scraping, incising). The objective of this study was to examine the perception of female genital mutilation among women of childbearing age (15-45) years in Idumarele, Uromi,Edo State. The study was carried out using a cross-sectional descriptive study, non-experimental design. A total of two hundred and twenty (220) women were sampled from the population. Data was gotten from a well-structured questionnaire, which was Administered and collected from the respondents. Result shows that the respondents have good knowledge of female genital cutting but poor perception. Result from the findings shows that there is a significant relationship between the perception of female genital cutting and the level of education of the respondents. Result also shows that there is a significant relationship between the perception of female genital cutting and factors promoting female genital cutting in the study area. In Conclusionthisstudy concludes that female genital cutting continues to persist and is still on the rise despite various efforts put to eradicate it by different stakeholders. Based on the result of this study, the following recommendations were made: Education is the most significant and powerful tool to bring about behavioural changes in the community. Hence it is recommended that adult learning should be fostered and maintained within the community to ensure that individual make informed decisions about their reproductive rights.