Trends in Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: A Qualitative Investigation Focusing on Mothers of Circumcised Nigerian Girls

In South-Eastern Nigeria, the authors selected villages with a high prevalence of FGM/C to investigate trends in and influences affecting how females undergo the cut. This chapter presents the results of this qualitative study. In-depth interviews with 18 volunteering mothers of genitally mutilated girls provided data that the authors subjected to qualitative content analysis. They explored factors that encourage FGM/C, such as culture and patriarchy, and argued that stakeholders in traditions that endorse altering the vulva included healthcare professionals, circumcised women, families, and communities. Two primary themes emerged – trends in the performance of the practice, and perceptions regarding continuation – and six sub-themes. To minimize known health risks, the interlocutors distanced themselves from traditional cutting to move toward a non-invasive model, referred to as the “new method.” Finally, in South-Eastern Nigeria, where the practice claims to be “a quest for genital beauty,” FGM/C and female genital reshaping meet at the intersection of old and new traditions in the transformation of genitalia. The chapter recommends funding a community-based educational curriculum espousing abolition together with a program to end FGM/C tailored to the specific understanding of problem in these communities.