@article{ref1,
title="Female genital mutilation/cutting as grounds for asylum requests in the US: an analysis of more than 100 cases",
journal="Journal of immigrant and minority health",
year="2020",
author="Wikholm, Katherine and Mishori, Ranit and Ottenheimer, Deborah and Korostyshevskiy, Valeriy and Reingold, Rebecca and Wikholm, Colin and Hampton, Kathryn",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="Female Genital Mutilation or Cutting (FGM/C) is a human rights violation used to claim asylum in the US. We sought to understand the nature of these asylum requests. Analysis of 121 FGM/C-focused medical affidavits, and 132 legal case reports. Of 119 eligible affidavits analyzed, 84% were reportedly cut: 4.6% Type I, 84.6% Type II, 16.5% Type III. Average age: 9. Reported acute effects: bleeding (76.3%), infection (27.6%), shock (6.7%), broken bones (2.7%), and hospitalization (2.7%). Reported chronic issues: intercourse difficulty (81.7%), pregnancy complications (54.2%), chronic pain (42.4%), scarring (37.3%), urinary difficulty (31.8%). Psychological consequences included PTSD (72.4%), depression (65.9%), anxiety (51.1%), and lack of trust (10.1%). Co-occurring abuses included domestic violence (62.4%), forced marriage (46%), rape (33.3%), torture (33.3%), child marriage (31.3%), assault due to LGBTQ + status (2.9%). Women claiming asylum based on FGM/C report high rates of chronic health issues. Their histories suggest FGM/C co-occurs with other forms of gender-based violence.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1557-1912",
doi="10.1007/s10903-020-00994-8",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10903-020-00994-8"
}