Female Genital Mutilation - World Health Organization

6
FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION
STUDENT MANUAL
This manual has been prepared for use by students in
response to needs expressed in a proposal on female
genital mutilation (FGM) in which nurses and
midwives expressed the need to acquire knowledge and
skills to prevent FGM, and to be able to manage girls
and women with FGM complications.
The manual provides students with strategies for
involving individuals, families, communities, and
political leaders in the prevention of FGM. It prepares
students to manage clients with FGM during
pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period, by
providing a step by step guide to assessment,
counselling, referral, and the opening of type III FGM.
Who is the manual for?
The manual is intended for use primarily by nurses
and midwives during basic, post-basic or in-service
training. It may also be of use in the education and
training of medical students, clinical officers, public
health officers, and other health care providers.
How is the manual organized?
The manual consists of four modules. These are as
follows:
Module 1:
Provides the foundation for the course. It
introduces students to the practices involved in female
genital mutilation, and explains how these are
influenced by tradition.
Module 2:
Prepares students for working with communities to
prevent FGM. The module looks at the different
strategies for involving males, females, youth, and
community leaders in prevention activities.
INTRODUCTION
Module 3:
Gives nurses and midwives the skills necessary to
identify the complications of FGM and to manage girls
and women who present with such complications.
Module 4:
Prepares midwives and those involved in caring for
women during pregnancy, labour, delivery and the
postpartum period. The module provides skills in
counselling, opening up of type III FGM, and the
management of other complications due to FGM.
Each module starts with an introduction to the issues
covered; it then describes the general objectives of the
module, the essential skills to be acquired, and provides
information on the reference materials to be used.
Each module is divided into separate sessions, or
lessons. Learning resources, including videos, books,
pamphlets etc. are identified, and a full list appears in
the appendix. These are however only intended as
guidance – students are advised to make use of
whatever resources are available locally.
Learning activities
Because FGM is an extremely sensitive subject, it is
important that students have the opportunity to share
their own experiences, ideas, beliefs and cultural values
as much as possible. Besides being an effective method
of learning, this helps to reduce anxieties. The sessions
in this manual are therefore designed to be
participatory. The main teaching and learning
activities are:
The lecture –
This is a brief talk, used by teachers to introduce a
session or topic, provide new information or summarize