Nazar Shabila1. 1. Hawler Medical University, Erbil, Iraq.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Female genital mutilation is practised in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq but the reasons for this are not well understood. AIMS: This study aimed to determine the geographical clustering of female genital mutilation in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. METHODS: A secondary analysis of data from the Iraq Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2011 was done. The sample included 11 384 women of reproductive age who reported having undergone genital mutilation. The prevalence of female genital was analysed according to Iraqi governorate including the three governorates of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, district of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and age group (15-30 and 31-49 years). RESULTS: The prevalence of female genital mutilation was highest in Erbil (62.9%) and Sulaimany (55.8%) governorates in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The prevalence was highest in the districts of Pishdar (98.1%), Rania (95.1%), Choman (88.5%), Dukan (83.8%) and Koya (80.4%). In 20 of the 33 districts, the prevalence of female genital mutilation was significantly lower in the younger age group (15-30 years). The difference between the two age groups was small and not statistically significant in the districts of Pishdar, Rania and Dukan. The main cluster of districts with a high prevalence of female genital mutilation is located in the eastern part of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq along the border with the Islamic Republic of Iran. CONCLUSIONS: Further research is needed to explore the determinants of the continued high prevalence of female genital mutilation in this area.
BACKGROUND: Female genital mutilation is practised in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq but the reasons for this are not well understood. AIMS: This study aimed to determine the geographical clustering of female genital mutilation in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. METHODS: A secondary analysis of data from the Iraq Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2011 was done. The sample included 11 384 women of reproductive age who reported having undergone genital mutilation. The prevalence of female genital was analysed according to Iraqi governorate including the three governorates of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, district of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, and age group (15-30 and 31-49 years). RESULTS: The prevalence of female genital mutilation was highest in Erbil (62.9%) and Sulaimany (55.8%) governorates in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The prevalence was highest in the districts of Pishdar (98.1%), Rania (95.1%), Choman (88.5%), Dukan (83.8%) and Koya (80.4%). In 20 of the 33 districts, the prevalence of female genital mutilation was significantly lower in the younger age group (15-30 years). The difference between the two age groups was small and not statistically significant in the districts of Pishdar, Rania and Dukan. The main cluster of districts with a high prevalence of female genital mutilation is located in the eastern part of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq along the border with the Islamic Republic of Iran. CONCLUSIONS: Further research is needed to explore the determinants of the continued high prevalence of female genital mutilation in this area.