BACKGROUND
Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) is an emerging topic in immigrant
countries as a consequence of the increasing proportion of African women in overseas
communities.
OBJECTIVE
While the prevalence of FGM/C is routinely measured in practicing countries, the
prevalence of the phenomenon in western countries is substantially unknown, as no
standardized methods exist yet for immigrant countries. The aim of this paper is to
present an improved method of indirect estimation of the prevalence of FGM/C among
first generation migrants based on a migrant selection hypothesis. A criterion to assess
reliability of indirect estimates is also provided.
METHOD
The method is based on data from Demographic Health Surveys (DHS) and Multiple
Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS). Migrants’ Selection Hypothesis is used to correct
national prevalence estimates and obtain an improved estimation of prevalence among
overseas communities.
RESULTS
The application of the selection hypothesis modifies national estimates, usually
predicting a lower occurrence of FGM/C among immigrants than in their respective
practicing countries. A comparison of direct and indirect estimations confirms that the
method correctly predicts the direction of the variation in the expected prevalence and
satisfactorily approximates direct estimates.