31
views
0
recommends
+1 Recommend
0 collections
    0
    shares
      • Record: found
      • Abstract: found
      • Article: not found

      Attitudes toward female circumcision among Somali immigrants in Oslo: a qualitative study

      research-article

      Read this article at

      ScienceOpenPublisherPMC
      Bookmark
          There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.

          Abstract

          Due to its negative impact on public health, female circumcision (FC) has gained increased attention from international communities and the Norwegian public in recent decades. In 1995, the Norwegian government outlawed the practice and simultaneously developed a package of measures aimed at preventing and ultimately eradicating FC in Norway. Like many other Western countries, immigrants of Somali descent constitute the largest immigrant group in Norway from countries with FC traditions. Although this immigrant group is often perceived as a cultural society that supports FC generally as a practice, there appears to be a lack of studies that explore the impact of acculturation and the Western social context on Somali immigrants’ attitudes toward the practice. Against this background, this paper explores the attitudes of Somalis living in Oslo, Norway to the practice of FC. Findings from this qualitative study indicate that Somalis in Oslo have, to a large extent, changed their attitude toward the practice. This was proven by the presence in Oslo of a large number of Somali parents who left their daughters uncut as well as Somali girls, boys, men, and women who attribute being uncircumcised a high status. This study adds to the knowledge of the process of abandonment of FC among immigrants in the Western countries. The study highlights the success that has been achieved in improving attitudes toward the practice of the Somali community in Oslo, Norway, as well as emerging challenges that need to be addressed further.

          Related collections

          Author and article information

          Journal
          Int J Womens Health
          Int J Womens Health
          International Journal of Women's Health
          International Journal of Women's Health
          Dove Medical Press
          1179-1411
          2012
          20 January 2012
          : 4
          : 7-17
          Affiliations
          [1 ]The Department of Social Science, Oslo University College, Oslo, Norway
          [2 ]Section for International Health, Department of General Practice and Community Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
          [3 ]Norwegian Center for Minority Health Research, Oslo, Norway
          Author notes
          Correspondence: Abdi A Gele, Department of Social Science, Oslo University College, Pilestredet 35, 0167 Oslo, Norway, Tel +47 96 82 20 30, Fax +47 22 45 36 00, Email abdi-ali.gele@ 123456hioa.no
          Article
          ijwh-4-007
          10.2147/IJWH.S27577
          3271810
          22312195
          6e997fb2-7252-45bd-939c-95f2b9dbdba6
          © 2012 Gele et al, publisher and licensee Dove Medical Press Ltd.

          This is an Open Access article which permits unrestricted noncommercial use, provided the original work is properly cited.

          History
          Categories
          Original Research

          Obstetrics & Gynecology
          female circumcision,behavior,somalis,immigrants,attitude
          Obstetrics & Gynecology
          female circumcision, behavior, somalis, immigrants, attitude

          Comments

          Comment on this article