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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Michelle Chyatte, MPH, Community Health and Prevention, Drexel University School of Public Health, 1505 Race Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, 610.716.9067, chyatte@hotmail.com and Mariana Chilton, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Drexel University SChool of Public Health, 1505 Race St., Philadelphia, PA 19102.

An estimated 6,000 young women and girls undergo female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C) a day, despite the existence of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) which acknowledges that gender violence and discrimination violates a women's dignity, bodily integrity, and wellbeing. Furthermore, a UN 1994 action plan states that FGM is an “expression of societal gender subordination of women,” and as such, is a human rights violation.

With the influx of refugee women who have experienced or are at risk of FGM/C seeking residency in the United States, it is imperative for physicians, nurses, public health practitioners, and mental health experts to recognize the special needs of this vulnerable population. A recent study estimates the prevalence rate of FGM/C in the U.S. exceeds 260,000 women or young girls. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) believes that since there is a significant increase in the number of females emigrating to the U.S. from areas where FGM/C is the norm, the threat of FGM/C will continue to rise. Finally, several organizations insist that women who have undergone FGM/C present challenges to physicians and, as such, health practitioners need specialized culturally sensitive training to deal with the short and long term complications of FGM/C. Western trained physicians and health practitioners have the power and ability to create culturally sensitive programs ensuring health care access in order to protect the rights of women both medically and legally.

Learning Objectives: By the end of the session the participant will be able to

• Discuss the implications of immigrant/refugee isolation, diminished economic status, and lack of culturally appropriate health care.
• Identify effective and proactive ways to be culturally competent with women’s mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being after having experienced FGM/C.
• Advocate for programs that empower women who have experienced FGM/C as agents of change within their communities.

Keywords: Female Genital Mutilation, Access to Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered