Female Circumcision in Indonesia: Extent, Implications and Possible Interventions to Uphold Women's Health Rights

摘要

The practice of female circumcision (FC) has recently received increasing attention. The United Nations has declared FC to be a violation of women's rights (1995). Soon after, the United States Congress in 1996 passed legislation directing the U.S. government to oppose assistance to governments of countries where FC or female genital mutilation (FGM) is customarily practiced and where the government has not taken steps to implement educational programs to prevent and eliminate the practice. In Indonesia, the practice of female circumcision has long existed, but information concerning exactly where and how it is carried out has been limited. In order to gather more information about the procedures in Indonesia, a relatively large study of female circumcision covering several major ethnic groups from the western to the eastern parts of the country, has recently been conducted. The specific aims of the study were to provide research-based information on FC customary practices and their socio-cultural determinants, and if possible, to assess the immediate and long-term physical and psychological consequences of the practices on women's sexuality, reproduction, and reproductive rights. The study used multiple data sources, including literature review, indepth qualitative interviews with FC providers, community leaders, religious leaders, and mothers, and a household survey with a sample of 1694 mothers of female children under age 19.