Female genital mutilation (FGM) trauma and mental health support during the UK lockdown: exploring women ’s experiences

Female genital mutilation (FGM) trauma and mental health support during the UK lockdown: exploring women’s experiences Peggy Mulongo, Roxanne Khan, Susan McAndrew, Michael McKeown Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research, Vol. ahead-of-print, No. ahead-of-print, pp.- The purpose of this study is to report findings from interviews with seven African-heritage women attending a female genital mutilation (FGM) Clinic in the north of England, during the COVID-19 lockdown. The Clinic, established several years before the pandemic, provides specialist therapeutic support to women and girls from minority ethnic communities who are affected by harmful “traditional” practices, including FGM. The services provided by the Clinic include early interventions, peer support, community engagement and empowerment around FGM.Data was collected during an online focus group discussion with seven women who had received counselling for FGM, to gain insight into their lived experiences of therapeutic support during the pandemic.Using Braun and Clarke (2006) six-step thematic analysis, four superordinate themes derived from the data: consistency and continuity; safety in shared experience and creativity; feeling heard, feeling stronger; and altruism and desire for change.It is important to recognise some limitations within this study. It is based on one focus group discussion that involved seven participants, who had experienced FGM, were living in a targeted area and whose mental hea...
Source: Journal of Aggression, Conflict and Peace Research - Category: Criminology Authors: Source Type: research