The Population Council leads Evidence to End FGM/C: Research to Help Girls and Women Thrive—a UKAID-funded research programme to help end female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) within one generation.
To help fill key knowledge gaps and inform policies and initiatives aimed at ending FGM/C, the programme examined FGM/C and its association with HIV, fistula, and early/child marriage. While these associations are often hypothesized, they have received limited research attention.
To clarify the nature of these three relationships, the programme conducted:
- Rigorous reviews of existing research literature.
- Data analysis from recent national surveys in select sub-Saharan African countries.
The findings are documented in a set of six research reports and three evidence briefs.
FISTULA
Evidence brief:
- "Exploring the association between female genital mutilation/cutting and fistula," Evidence to End FGM/C Programme Consortium Evidence Brief. Washington, DC: Population Reference Bureau, 2018.
Based on:
- Pooja Sripad, Charity Ndwiga, and Tamanna Keya, "Exploring the association between FGM/C and fistula: A review of the evidence," Evidence to End FGM/C: Research to Help Women Thrive. New York: Population Council, May 2017.
- Dennis Matanda, Pooja Sripad, and Charity Ndwiga. 2019. "Is there a relationship between female genital mutilation/cutting and fistula? A statistical analysis using cross-sectional data from Demographic and Health Surveys in 10 sub-Saharan Africa countries," BMJ Open 9: e025355.
HIV
Evidence brief:
- "Exploring the association between female genital mutilation/cutting and HIV," Evidence to End FGM/C Programme Consortium Evidence Brief. Washington, DC: Population Reference Bureau, 2018.
Based on:
- Y. Abisola Noah Pinheiro. 2019. "Associations between female genital mutilation/cutting and HIV: A review of the evidence," African Journal of AIDS Research 18(3): 181–191.
- Y. Abisola Noah Pinheiro, Zhuzhi Moore, and David Gathara. 2019. "Associations between FGM/C and HIV in Ethiopia, the Gambia, Kenya, and Sierra Leone: A limited analysis of Demographic and Health Survey data," Evidence to End FGM/C: Research to Help Girls and Women Thrive. New York: Population Council.
EARLY/CHILD MARRIAGE
Evidence brief:
- "Exploring the association between female genital mutilation/cutting and early/child marriage," Evidence to End FGM/C Programme Consortium Evidence Brief. Washington, DC: Population Reference Bureau, 2018.
Based on:
- Jamlick Karumbi, David Gathara, and Jacinta Muteshi. "Exploring the association between FGM/C and child marriage: A review of the evidence," Evidence to End FGM/C: Research to Help Women Thrive. New York: Population Council, May 2017.
- Jamlick Karumbi and David Gathara. "Associations between female genital mutilation/cutting and early/child marriage: A multi-country DHS/MICS analysis," Evidence to End FGM/C: Research to Help Women Thrive. New York: Population Council, January 2020.