Abstract
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a culturally accepted practice in some societies that entails serious physical, psychological and social complications for survivors. AIM To understand the experiences and meanings that mutilated migrant women give to female genital mutilation as a determinant of their sexual health. A study was designed based on Merleau-Ponty’s hermeneutics. The lived experiences and meanings that participants attach to FGM will be interpreted from the perspective of women’s inseparability from the world, society, culture and significant others with whom they are interconnected. In-depth interviews were conducted with twelve mutilated women migrants to Europe from sub-Saharan African countries. An inductive analysis was made of the interviews in search of emerging themes. Three themes emerged that represent the experiences and meaning participants attach to FGM: (1) The weight of cultural and social context in the persistence of FGM; (2) An experience of physical and mental torture; (3) Reconstruction and activism: Personal and social changes to accompany political changes. Survivors of FGM feel that they are victims of a practice sustained in a cultural and social context that exerts unavoidable pressure. They describe the process as a procedure of physical and mental torture, with serious consequences for the survivors’ reproductive, sexual and psychological health. The process of genital reconstruction and/or activism from host societies reconciles survivors with their own identity and dignity.
Presenters
Cayetano Fernández SolaProfessor, Nursing science, Physiotherapy and Medicine, University of Almería, Almería, Spain José Granero Molina
Senior Lecturer, Nursing, Physiotherapy and Medicine, University of Almería, Almería, Spain Maria Del Mar Jimenez Lasserrotte
Ayudante Doctora, Enfermería, Fisioterapia y Medicina , Universidad de Almería, España, Almería, Spain María Dolores Ruiz Fernández
Profesor Titular de Universidad, Departamento de Enfermería, Fisioterapia y Medicina, Universidad de Almería, Almería, Spain Isabel María Fernández Medina
Lecturer, Nursing, Physiotherapy and Medicine, University of Almería, Almería, Spain José Manuel Hernández Padilla
Head of Department , Nursing, Physiotherapy and Medicine, University of Almeria, Almería, Spain
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Multiple Legacies: Heritage, Traditions, Local Ecologies, Knowledge, Values, Protection
KEYWORDS
QUALITATIVE RESEARCH, FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION, CULTURAL CONTEXT
