Female Genital Mutilation Amongst Sudanese migrants in Greater Cairo: Perceptions and Trends

This study offers rare, qualitative insights into how FGM in Egypt is understood and practiced among Sudanese migrants, especially with Egypt having the highest rate of medicalized FGM in the world. Based on in-depth interviews with 30 participants from Sudanese communities in Greater Cairo, key findings include:

• • Widespread awareness, but unclear understanding, of FGM types:
    All women could identify forms of FGM using local terms (“Sunna,” “Sandwich,” “Pharaonic”), but misconceptions persist, particularly that “Sunna” (Type I) is harmless or acceptable.

• • Migration rarely shifts entrenched beliefs alone:
    Sudanese families that practiced FGM in Sudan are likely to continue doing so in Egypt. Those who stopped before migrating are unlikely to restart. Migration does not inherently change behavior – community influence remains strong. However, the economic hardship caused by humanitarian crises and the need to provide necessities like housing and food have contributed to FGM’s delay or discontinuation.

• • “Small Sudan” networks sustain FGM:
    Migrant hubs in Cairo and Giza – known as “Small Sudan” – provide social support and also facilitate the continuation of FGM by connecting families with Sudanese midwives.
    Legal knowledge is limited and fragmented:
    While most participants assumed FGM is illegal in Egypt, few understood the law’s details or enforcement. This creates a legal grey area that can enable continued practice.

• • Shifts are emerging – especially among women and youth:
    Highly educated mothers and grandmothers who experienced harm from FGM were the strongest advocates for abandonment. Male participants also cited negative effects on marital relationships.

• • FGM is seen through a medical, not rights-based lens:
    Few participants viewed FGM as gender-based violence or a violation of bodily autonomy. Most framed it in terms of health risks – especially Type III FGM – rather than a human rights issue.

Key recommendations

• • Effective Implementation of the Law: Enforce Egypt’s anti-FGM law across all institutions.

• • Awareness Campaigns: Educate Sudanese and Egyptian families on the physical, psychological and sexual implications of the practice on women and girls.

• • Community Empowerment: Target mothers and grandmothers as agents of change.

• • Network Engagement: Use “Small Sudan” communities as channels for anti-FGM messaging.

• • Humanitarian Integration: Make anti-FGM education part of displacement support programs.

• • Address Myths About Type I FGM: Correct the misconception that certain types of FGM are harmless or religiously required.