Date of Award

4-2011

Document Type

Thesis

Department

Political Science

First Advisor

Patrick Donnay

Abstract

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) also known as Female Genital Cutting (FGC) captured my interest the first time I heard about the practice. I assumed, wrongly, that it was only practiced in remote areas of Africa where educational opportunities were few and outside influences were nil. After researching the topic it is clear that is not the case. FGM is practiced in many countries in Africa, the Middle East, and around the world. It is a barbaric practice that has no religious significance and is incredibly harmful to women and their health, both mentally and physically. I focused my research on Egypt. It demonstrates high numbers of FGM among a fairly educated and contemporary culture. I analyzed data gathered by the Demographic and Health Surveys of the U.S. Agency for International Development. Preliminary results show banning or outlawing FGM does nothing, but that awareness and education are slowly changing the tide and promoting the abandonment of FGM.

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