FGM – Psychological Impact of Female Genital Mutilation: A Grounded Theory Approach – Research Report
Author: WUNRN
Date: August 14, 2016
Psychological Impact of Female Genital Mutilation:
A Grounded Theory Approach
Via SVRI – Sexual Violence Research Initiative
Direct Link to Full 5-Page 2016 Research Report:
Dr Jennifer Glover, Dr Helen Liebling, Dr Simon Goodman & Dr Hazel Barratt
8 August 2016
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- Recommendations
4.1. Training needs: Whilst at present it is acknowledged that healthcare professionals are required to ask about FGM as part of an assessment, there appears to be no training or policies regarding appropriate support and service provision. Staff working in primary, secondary and tertiary sectors need specific training in the needs of women who have undergone FGM. Training would benefit from being compulsory and delivered by specialist in FGM. It would be helpful to address this issue on a national and international level.
4.2. Maternity training needs: Staff working in maternity would benefit from training with a specialist psychologist into the impact of FGM on bonding and attachment between a mother and baby.
4.3. Cultural training: Maternity services need to be improved to have a greater cultural understanding of the meanings of losing a child for women from African countries and its impact on identity. Services should consider an increased integrated approach to working with survivors, which brings together physical and mental health services.
4.4. Policy and pathways: A clear pathway for women who have undergone FGM needs to be developed by policy stakeholders, medical and psychological professionals. Specific focus to FGM needs to be given in mental health policy documents. Primary health, community-based and social care services need to be developed whereby their holistic needs, including psychological, social, legal and physical health needs of survivors could be properly assessed and treated.
4.5. Consent: Within the UK there is need for increased scrutiny and protection for children being taken out of the country without parental consent (Female Genital Mutilation Act, 2003).
4.6. De-infibulation: Clinics where women can have the FGM procedure reversed need to be opened and made accessible to women via both self-referral and referral from a health professional.
4.7. Outcome Measures: Services need to improve the use of outcome measures, including qualitative information, regarding the effectiveness of their engagement with FGM survivors, including during pregnancy and childbirth. Services need to provide feedback forms in languages relevant to survivors of FGM to encourage feedback of the service they have received. Feedback needs to be audited annually.
4.8. Psychological support: Survivors of FGM should be offered psychological support from a specialist Clinical Psychologist. This should be offered as a group, or individually. Couples work should also be offered.
4.9. Education: Whilst powerful structures that perpetuate FGM practice, including patriarchy and religion are hard to alter, there is the need for greater involvement of religious and cultural leaders in the education of communities about the relationship between patriarchy, religion and FGM. Such education programmes are currently being established in Egypt and Tearfund/Sexual Violence Research Initiative have established an international steering group working on prevention of gender-based violence practices (see United Nations Development Programme, 2015.
4.10. Human rights: Reproductive health services and gynaecological care needs to be improved, and survivor’s resulting health needs should be viewed as a human rights issue.
Categories: Releases
