4.6.2019. Female genital mutilation (FGM) is common among many migrant groups in Saudi Arabia, e.g. women from Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Egypt. Therefore, Saudi gynecologists have long pointed to health complications accompanied with it and have specialized on treating the often severe consequences.Yet, it was so far believed that FGM is not practiced by the Saudi population or if, only by remote tribes at the Yemeni border. Now, a new survey conducted among 963 patients of the Kind Abdelaziz University Hospital shows that FGM is indeed also prevalent among Saudi women.

In the sample, almost 80 percent of the questioned women were of Saudi origin and only 175 women of the total 963 reported to have undergone FGM. Yet, of these 62,8 percent were Saudi. This is indeed a striking result and shows that further research in Saudi Arabia is needed.

On a positive note, the study found that FGM was more common among older women and that support for the continuation of the practice is low with only 5,3 percent wanting it to continue, while 68,7 percent wanted it to stop. Among the group who had undergone FGM support was higher with 18,3 percent wanting to continue it, yet still low compared to other regions were FGM is common and no awareness campaign has taken place.

 

Read the study:

Abdulrahim A Rouzi, Rigmor C Berg, Rana Alamoudi, Faten Alzaban, Mohammad Sehlo: Survey on female genital mutilation/cutting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 2019