Submission ID 131953
| Issue/Objective | The collection and dissemination of sensitive data - such as estimates of the prevalence of women and girls living with FGM/C in migrant-receiving countries - raise methodological, ethical, and social challenges. While such estimates are often used to inform policy and strengthen care responses, they also risk reinforcing stigma, homogenizing diverse populations, and obscuring lived realities. This paper examines the assumptions and terminology shaping international prevalence estimates, with the aim of promoting approaches that are respectful, trauma-informed, and contextually grounded. It further seeks to inform the development and use of prevalence estimates in the Canadian context. |
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| Methodology/Approach | A qualitative content analysis was conducted on 38 reports published since 1996 that estimate the prevalence of women and girls living with FGM/C in migrant-receiving countries, including Europe, Australia, the United States, and Canada. Extracted data included terminology used to describe the practice and affected populations, methods for calculating prevalence (notably extrapolation techniques), considerations of data validity and limitations, and the extent to which reports incorporated trauma-informed, culturally safe, and intersectoral perspectives. |
| Results | Most reports rely on indirect estimation methods, combining host-country census data with prevalence rates from countries of origin, often derived from DHS/MICS surveys. The analysis identified recurring gaps, including limited critical engagement with the WHO definition of FGM/C, insufficient attention to transnational and migration dynamics, and minimal consideration of integration experiences in host societies. Trauma-informed perspectives and the implications of prevention discourse were inconsistently addressed. These limitations are particularly concerning when applied to girls born or raised in host countries, where assumptions about risk are often inferred based solely on parental country of origin. |
| Discussion/Conclusion | This analysis calls for a critical re-examination of how prevalence estimates are produced and used in migrant-receiving contexts. Moving beyond extractive, top-down approaches requires centering community knowledge, lived experiences, and participatory processes. Embedding trauma-informed principles and ensuring local accountability can enhance both the ethical integrity and practical relevance of estimates. There is a need to develop methodological frameworks that are sensitive to the complexities of migration experiences, avoid harm, and align with the classification of FGM/C as a form of gender-based violence and a criminalized practice in many settings. |
| Presenters and Affiliations | Bilkis Vissandjee Université de Montréal Romy Labranche Université de Montréal Margaret Haworth-Brockman University of Manitoba Wangari Tharao Women's Health in Women's Hands Rose Ndjel Afrique au féminin |
