PERCEPTION OF FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION AMONG WOMEN OF REPRODUCTIVE AGE ATTENDING USELU PRIMARY HEALTHCARE CENTRE IN EGOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, EDO STATE

ABSTRACT

Female genital mutilation is a ritual procedure involving the total or partial removal of parts of the female genitalia for non-therapeutic reasons. It is considered a violent practice against women although it is still being influenced by culture and tradition. This is a study on perception of female genital cutting among women of reproductive age attending Uselu primary healthcare centre in Egor LGA, Edo state. The Objectives of this research work aims to assess the knowledge on FGM, examine their perception of FGM and identify the factors influencing this practice. A descriptive cross-sectional design was used. A sample size of two hundred and twenty was used for the study from a population of 400 women of reproductive age attending Uselu primary healthcare centre in Egor LGA, Edo state. A total of 20 well- constructed questions were administered. Two hundred and twenty questionnaires were retrieved for analysis, Instrument for data collection was the questionnaire and it contained mainly closed ended questions. A descriptive analysis of the data in relation to the research question was done, the data was presented in tables of numerical values put in percentages and hypothesis tested using Chi-Square analysis and research questions answered. The findings of this study showed that respondents have a low level knowledge of female genital mutilation. It also revealed that respondents have poor perception of female genital mutilation. The findings furthermore revealed that there was a significant relationship between the culture of the people and the perception of female genital mutilation. \

Keywords: Knowledge, Perception, Female genital mutilation, Women of Reproductive Age