In the world, especially in Africa, female genital mutilations (also called female sexual mutilation) affect more than 4 million girls and women each year.
[Article issu de The Conversation, écrit par Daniel Pérez-Parra, PhD Candidate in Economics – Université Gustave Eiffel (Laboratoire Érudite) and Université de Tours (Laboratoire d’économie d’Orleans), Université Gustave Eiffel]
In total, in the world, more than 230 million girls and women alive have undergone genital mutilation, according to a figure communicated in 2024 by UNICEF. In France, it is estimated that nearly 60,000 women live excised.
These mutilations can take the form of ablations-we commonly use the term of excisions-partial or total of the clitoris and (or) of the small lips of the vulva, of an infibulation (that is to say a narrowing of The vaginal orifice) or other harmful interventions of the female genital organs for non -medical purposes, according to the definition of the World Health Organization (WHO). All these mutilations are associated with an increased risk for the health of the women concerned, insists the WHO, and can cause deaths.
Percentage of women who have undergone genital mutations in sub -Saharan Africa
Change the look at female genital mutilation thanks to the internet
Despite international campaigns to eradicate them, these practices rooted in certain cultures persist in many communities. Could they evolve in the face of rapid modernization, in particular thanks to the growing availability of broadband Internet?
Our research work suggests that expanding Internet access, associated with initiatives that question the stigma that supports female sexual mutilations, could become a powerful strategy to fight these practices.
A study conducted in Nigeria
Our study examines the role of the rapid internet in the influence of prevalence and acceptance of female genital mutilation in Nigeria, a country where this practice remains common among several large ethnic groups.
For all our estimates, we used the Nigerian Demographic and Health Surveya representative database at the national level, which includes more than 30,000 people questioned throughout Nigeria.
Prevalence of genital mutilation among women in each municipality in Nigeria in 2018
In Nigeria, female genital mutilations are traditionally perceived as a means of reducing the sexual desire of women and dissuading them from having premarital and extra bonding, stigmatized behaviors in many communities. It is important to specify that Nigeria is a federal state in which only certain states have legislated directly against female genital mutilation.
In addition, as the most populated nation in Africa and the first mobile telephony market on the continent, with more than 170 million mobile connections in 2019, this country offers a unique context to explore how technology interacts with practices cultural.
A drop in mutilation and support for these practices, especially in rural areas
However, the arrival of broadband Internet in previously isolated regions exposes these communities to global cultures and various expressions of female identity.
Our work suggests that this exhibition contributes to destigmatizing premarital and extramarital sexual behavior, thus weakening the speeches that promote female genital mutilation. Which is, let us remember, the main cause for which genital mutilation is practiced in many countries.
Percentage of people covered by the 3G network in Nigeria by municipality in 2018
In addition, organizations like UNICEF are increasingly using online platforms to carry out campaigns against female genital mutilation, which benefit from increased scope thanks to the expansion of Internet access.
To assess the impact of the quick internet, we compared the populations who have access to it with those who do not have access to it, by taking advantage of the gradual deployment of 3G networks in Nigeria, the main means of accessing High speed Internet in sub -Saharan Africa.
We have operated 3G covers based on geospatial data which allow us to identify which villages and districts of Nigeria have a 3G connection.
Using advanced statistical methods to isolate the effects of 3G of other factors, we have found that internet access significantly reduces both the prevalence of female genital mutilation (the reduction is 55 % in rural areas And 30 % throughout Nigeria) and support for this practice, the effects being the most marked in rural areas.
When the Internet contributes to a freer sexuality
To understand the mechanisms behind these changes, we have analyzed how internet access influences stigmatized sexual behavior and cultural standards. Our results show that internet access is associated with an increase in premarital and extramarital relations, as well as a higher number of sexual partners in life, especially in women.
These results support the idea that Internet access leads to a wider cultural change towards liberal behaviors, making female genital mutilation increasingly obsolete.
We have also analyzed the impact of online female genital anti-mutilation campaigns in the observed decline, relying again on the database Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey. In particular, we examined the campaign led by UNICEF in 2018 on the occasion of International Girl Day, on October 11, one of the most important online female anti-mutilation campaigns of this year.
Surprisingly, it emerges from our analysis that the campaign has had a limited impact on the reduction of support for female genital mutilation, even if we can consider that all of the population awareness devices plays a role.
This observation suggests that the decline is mainly due to a broader cultural change which reduces stigma surrounding liberal sexual behavior, rather than the direct content of the campaign. We have also dismissed factors such as income growth and migration as an alternative explanation for the influence of Internet access on female genital mutilation.
The implications of these results are important. Expanding Internet access, in parallel with initiatives that directly question stigmas supporting female genital mutilation, could become an effective approach to reduce this practice.
However, the growing cultural standardization brought by internet exposure could have unexpected consequences, that future research will have to explore more.
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