Former les professionnel.les de santé aux mutilations génitales féminines (MGF) : étude qualitative d’évaluation de l’impact social de la formation FAM.

Abstract

Introduction: Female genital mutilation (FGM) encompasses the total or partial removal of a woman's external genitalia, carried out for no medical reason. Mainly carried out in sub-Saharan Africa, FGM is also practiced in Europe as a result of migration. Although French healthcare professionals say they are concerned, they claim to have insufficient knowledge and practical tools to deal with the subject in their consultations.

Purpose of the study: Faced with this situation, training was offered to healthcare professionals between 2019 and 2023. A total of 150 professionals were trained over this period. A qualitative method was used to evaluate the social impact of the training, with the aim of identifying the effects on and concrete changes to the practices of trained professionals, compared with those of untrained ones. The evaluation methodology was based on 4 periods of observation of training sessions, 15 qualitative semi-structured individual interviews (8 with trained professionals and 7 with untrained professionals), and 5 observation sessions of consultations between trained and untrained professionals and their patients.

Results: The evaluation highlights four main sets of results: on the one hand, the training contributes to reinforcing professionals' theoretical and practical knowledge of FGM, and on the other, to changing the approach they adopt during consultations.

Conclusion: Multidisciplinary support for women who have undergone mutilation is also facilitated. Nevertheless, certain prevention-related aspects of the training, such as learning how to report cases to the public prosecutor, do not seem to have been immediately integrated into their practices.