Community Participation and Challenges in controlling Female Genital Mutilation in A Rural Community of Southwest Ethiopia: A Mixed Study

Abstract Background Female gentile mutilation is all procedures that involving the partial or total removal of external genitalia or other injury to female genital organs. More than 140 million women in the world have undergone female gentile mutilation. In many rural parts of Africa, local communities’ low involvement and existence of diverse challenges during community participation supported to the persistence of female gentile mutilation practices. Community participation can empower and provide local people with opportunity to think and develop solutions for themselves by incorporating local knowledge and skills in the process of taking part. Increasing community participation has power in controlling such challengeable social issue in creating common consensus and sense of responsibility among local community. Therefore, this study was aimed to assess the role of community participation and challenges in controlling the female genital mutilation in rural community of southwest Ethiopia. Methods A community based cross sectional study was conducted from November 1–30, 2020 in southwest Ethiopia among 403 study participants. A multi-stage stratified sampling technique was used and the study participants was selected systematically after proportional allocation to size was done. The data were collected in both qualitative and quantitate approach so focused group discussion, key informant interview and face-to-face interview was used to collect data respectively. Results The response rate of the study was 91.3% of them completed the interview. From this as the total response rate indicated that 65.8% females and 34.2% male responded. The result indicated that among participant females 79.27% circumcised. From the participant, 70.1% of respondents not support community participating in control of female genital mutilation. The result of this study indicates that majority, 92.2% of the respondents believe (M = 4.48, SD = 0.639) that community participation can help the actors to left female genital mutilation practice in the community. The influence of community participation in making decision to left circumcision of once daughter in the future. The result revealed that 45.0% and 44.4% of respondents perceive (M = 4.34, SD = 0.661) community participation influence the future actions of an individual can be high and very high respectively. The challenges identified in the current study were changing tradition of female circumcision from public to secrecy, lack of decision making among local people, lack of open discussion among rural community, submissive participation by women in FGM controlling process, intervention of local administration and preference of donors’ problems. Conclusion and recommendations: The practice of FGM in the study are high since the goal of sustainable development goal is zero. Lowe attitude and perception towards female genital mutilation is study area. Majority of FGM practice was done health professionals in secret way. This implies that more intervention is needed for the reduction of its practice. The government should work with the community and should consider culturally appropriate and socially acceptable policies and strategy to reduce the practice.