Social Perspective of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in Khartoum State – Sudan 2020

Abstract Background Female genital cutting( FGC) comprises all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons and it is considered as violation of human rights of girls and women. The overall objective of this study was to explore the social factors contributing in the persistence of this practice despite of the efforts for eradication in Khartoum State-Methods: This was a community based cross-sectional study conducted in Khartoum State- Sudan including the three localities. The study included 920 females within the reproductive age, sampled proportionate to size using multistage cluster sampling The data were collected using standardized administered questionnaire, Data were analyzed using statistical package for social science's version 21. Analysis was composed of descriptive data and Multinominal Regression Test to study the associations between variables of interest.Results: 62% of the participants considered female genital cutting as a violation of girls’ and women’s rights, 20% of them mentioned rejection by husbands as the main risk if daughters were not subjected to female genital cutting ,71% of the participants considered female genital cutting as a harmful traditional practice while 26% did not consider it as such . ] Multinomial logistic regression estimates of daughters have been subjected to any form of female genital cutting and reasons of conduct of female genital cutting and the risk encountered when girls are not subjected to female genital cutting showed ,“the risk encountered when girls are not subjected to female genital cutting” ranked the first place in influence as the regression coefficient of this variable is 68.779, while the main reason for the conduct of female genital cutting ranked the second place in influence as the regression coefficient of this variable is .089.Conclusions: FGC is a cultural practice recognized as a violation of human rights. These findings support the social coordination norm model, and results indicate the widely prevailing misconceptions about FGC/M among the study participants especially among those participants supporting the continuation of FGC/M. Key words Female genital cutting, Social Factors, Violation, Sudan