Hi, I am doing my dissertation on Female Genital Mutilation and I was wondering if any other students out there had come across it in practice and if so how was it managed and also if any of you are taught it as part of your syllabus at uni?

Thanks

They teach us nowt at our uni often wonder how we'll how you doing with all the articles on it is there any you need but can't get? If so if you put them on here sometimes others can get em when you can't x

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Have you just been offered a place? If so and you want a mentor please post in post this forum (also post here if you would like a mentee)

I've got zillions of articles, if anything I'm feeling a bit snowed under but am slowly getting a grip of things!! Emailed Pat anyway and she said she'll av a look at it. I've read some universities do teach it so it will be interesting to read about their experiences!!

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Hi, first of all I just need to say I've joined, not because I'm a student midwife, but because I've become very interested in FGM through someone I met online.

She is a 31 year old woman of Senegalese descent, living in Paris. She suffered FGM at the age of 4 and decided last year to have reconstructive surgery available in Paris. She recorded all her thoughts and the processes she went through on her blog (in French). I have translated it all, plus almost all the comments here so that any English speakers might possibly be helped. I've had several people contact me for further help.

You may be interested because it shows a different aspect, the psychological, which is often neglected in favour of the medical problems. There are also quite a few other posts with links about FGM in the blog which you could find by searching on the label female genital mutilation.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for that, I certainly shall have a look at that and how fantastic of you to translate it all! What made you become interested in FGM?

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Well I suppose I became interested in FGM through being interested in women's issues in the developing world, primarily Africa. Then I found Papillon's blog and that focused my interest.

The translations are not that brilliant I have to say. I was doing them in quite a rush because at the time there were a lot of people extremely interested to read the next one. I decided to leave them in their "raw" state because I didn't want to put too much polish on it, to sound as though I had re-written it.

Some people find it difficult to find the next posts in the series, so I've added a link from one post to another to try to help with that.

Well I'm very grateful for the information you have passed on, my second chapter will be looking at the physical and psychological consequences of FGM and how this impacts on midwifery practice so I'm sure it will be a great help. Thanks again :-)

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Alapage,

Thanks so much for posting the translated blog on here, I will make it a sticky thread so it will be accessible to all members who may not have come across it ... I first came across FGM when I was an A level student (seems a hundred years ago now) and have always felt strongly about it. So thanks again, its incredible reading.

Jx

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Josie
StudentMidwife.NET Co-founder & Director