Female genital cutting among the Hausa community in Sagamu

Abstract

Context: Female genital cutting is a prevalent practice in many parts of Nigeria but anecdotal evidence shows that Sagamu indigenes do not practice it. This study examined the awareness, attitude and practice of female genital cutting among the Hausas who reside in Sagamu.
Methodology: A cross-sectional study was carried out in Sabo, Sagamu, in the months of May/June 2002. Multi-staged sampling technique was used to choose 245 respondents from the study area.
Results: One hundred and seventy seven females and 68 males were interviewed. The males had a higher level of education compared with the females (p<0.05). Female genital cutting was a prevalent practice in the community as 80% of all the respondents were aware of the practice and 69.9% of the females reported that they were circumcised. The most commonly performed type was Type 1 (sunna), which is usually performed in the first week of life by traditional birth attendants and barber surgeons. The commonly cited reasons for the practice were: to ease delivery (20.6%), religious injunctions (19.1%) and tradition (15.5%). At the household level, fathers were the major decision-makers about female circumcision. The females in the study had a more conservative attitude to female genital cutting, as they tended to support the practice more than the males (64.8% females and 20.5% males). The males were more likely to be aware of the campaign against FGC and were more likely to support the campaign (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Female genital cutting is a prevalent practice among the study population. There is a need to improve female education among this population, intensify anti-FGC campaigns and more specifically target information at the women.