TY  - JOUR
PY  - 1999//
TI  - Female circumcision: the prevalence and nature of the ritual in Eritrea
JO  - Military medicine
A1  - Davis, G.
A1  - Ellis, Joanne
A1  - Hibbert, M.
A1  - Perez, R. P.
A1  - Zimbelman, E.
SP  - 11
EP  - 16
VL  - 164
IS  - 1
N2  - This paper evaluates the current practice of female circumcision in Eritrea. The study, in particular, examined the extent of the practice, its immediate and long-term complications, and attitudes towards the practice among women in Eritrea. The sample population comprised 436 Eritrean women from rural and urban environments. About 88% had undergone some form of female circumcision, while 63% were circumcised during infancy or early childhood. Although 73% of the women believed that female circumcision should be abandoned, 79% preferred to have their daughters circumcised. Those women who favored the continuation of female circumcision were primarily rural dwellers with little formal education. The immediate complications of this practice were hemorrhage, infection, trauma, and shock, while the long-term complications include psychological, hematocolpos, keloid formation, obstructed labor injury complex, pelvic contractures, infertility, and fistula formation. The consequences of this practice were considerable and as complex as the social, religious, and traditional factors behind its preservation.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0026-4075
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -