Epidemiological, Medical, Legal, and Psychological Aspects of Mutilation/at-Risk Girls in Italy

Abstract

As a result of immigration from Africa, Italy has become host to people from cul-tures that traditionally practice female genital mutilation. According to indirect esti-mates, 4,000 to 5,000 genitally mutilated girls may be living in Italy today. From a 1993 epidemiological study in which we interviewed 327 obstetrician/ from 18 Ob/Gyns on 42 mutilated girls.The gynaecologists (Ob/Gyns), we collected data from 18 patients, primarily from East Africa, presently were living in nearly all regions of Italy. Between 1993 and 1997, an additional survey of 30Ob/Gyns permitted us to collect case studies on 73 mutilated girls. The cases, analysed through a qualitative methodology, permitted us to investigate some areas of interest, giving us information on the different ways female genital mutilation is performed in Italy; the impact on the health service of the short- and medium-term physical consequences of female genital mutilation; the victim’s fear of the operation; the post-operative psychological conse-quences of female genital mutilation; and the first two legal cases reported to the authorities. Due to wide-spread media coverage, a ban on female genital mutilation has now apparently been included in the goals of the Italian Committee on Bioethics.