Female genital mutilation in the Canary Islands: A qualitative study on the perspectives of women and healthcare professionals

INTRODUCTION: Migration to Western countries is associated with social and health challenges that are difficult to manage. Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a harmful practice that still occurs in the 21st century. According to the World Health Organization, FGM is a ritual procedure involving the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia for non-therapeutic reasons. OBJECTIVES: (I) To explore the experiences of women residing in the Canary Islands, in Spain, who had suffered FGM, and their assessment of the healthcare received. (II) To explore the perspectives of healthcare professionals who had attended to these cases, care pathways, and prevention. METHODS: A qualitative study, phenomenologically oriented based on a pragmatic perspective, was conducted. We conducted open in-person interviews, and written documents were sent via email for data collection. Purposeful and snowball sampling methods were used to select women who had undergone FGM and healthcare providers who had attended to such patients. Nine participants were recruited, five health professionals and four women. Although the sample size was not very large, the data had enough depth and richness to meet the goals of the study. The data were analyzed using the thematic analysis technique. RESULTS: Six main themes emerged, including the “meaning of FGM,” “health consequences,” “benefits of treatments,” “knowledge about FGM,” “experiences of professionals and with professionals,” and “recommendations of professionals in improving care.” CONCLUSIONS: Professionals and women identified the lack of training to address this problem, and both parties perceived FGM as a negative practice. The women lack knowledge about the relationship between some health problems they suffer and FGM, which poses a challenge for accurate diagnosis and treatment. Therefore, professionals need to know in detail all health conditions related to FGM to diagnose and treat these women more accurately. When affected women arrive in Western countries and receive correct information on the consequences of FGM, they are more likely to reject this practice. The identification of cases of FGM in women born in the Canary Islands urges the need to develop strategies to avoid such situations.