ABC Radio Sydney, 6/2/2020
For Western Sydney University researcher Olayide Ogunsiji, female genital mutilation was so prevalent where she grew up in Nigeria, her own cutting was never questioned. When her daughter was born, there was every chance her child would have also undergone the traumatic practice if not for the education Dr Ogunsiji received in antenatal care.
Key points:
- Female genital mutilation/cutting refers to procedures that removed or injured female genital organs for non-medical reasons
- The practice is illegal in Australia but roughly 53,000 women have been living with female genital mutilation in Australia
- Antenatal clinics were often on the frontline of helping these women, but one expert said staff needed more specialised training to be better equipped in dealing with these patients