Perception and Knowledge of Female Genital Mutilation among Indigenous Childbearing Women in Awka-South Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria

Female genital mutilation (FGM) remains a deeply rooted cultural practice with far-reaching consequences for the health, dignity, and rights of women worldwide. The study assessed the perception and knowledge of female genital mutilation among indigenous childbearing women in the Awka-South Local Government Area in Anambra State, Nigeria. The objectives of the study were to assess the level of knowledge and the level of perception of indigenous childbearing women in Awka, South L.G.A. of Anambra State towards female genital mutilation. The hypotheses were that there is no significant association between the level of knowledge and the level of perception of indigenous childbearing women in Awka-South L.G.A. of Anambra State towards female genital mutilation and that parity of indigenous childbearing women in Awka-South L.G.A. is not significantly associated with their perception. A cross-sectional, descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. The sample size was 437 indigenous childbearing women, and a multistage sampling technique was used. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire. The reliability test indicated 0.72. The data obtained were analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS); descriptive statistics, frequency, percentage, and mean were used to analyze research questions, and inferential statistics, chi-square, were used to test hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. The data were presented in tables for clarity. The findings of the study revealed that the majority, 77.2%, had a negative perception of FGM, and the majority, 64.0%, of the respondents had poor knowledge of FGM. There was no significant association between the level of knowledge and the level of perception of FGM among indigenous childbearing women, with p-value = 0.094, and the parity of indigenous childbearing women is not significantly associated with their level of perception of FGM with p-value = 0.431. In conclusion, indigenous childbearing women showed negative perceptions towards FGM, and indigenous childbearing women had poor knowledge of FG. It is recommended that healthcare providers, community organizations, and government agencies implement comprehensive education programs targeting indigenous childbearing women to improve their knowledge and understanding of FGM.