Abstract
BACKGROUND: Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a harmful practice that violates the human rights of women and girls. Education plays a crucial role in stopping and preventing FGM by raising awareness through individual counseling, as well as group education at health facilities. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of group education or one-on-one FGM prevention counseling or information sharing in preventing FGM in communities that practice FGM. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched electronic databases from inception to May 2023 for published and gray literature, without language restrictions. SELECTION CRITERIA: Controlled studies, including before-and-after studies were included. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Studies were independently assessed for inclusion, data extraction, risk of bias, and grading of the evidence. MAIN RESULTS: Four observational studies were included. Very low-certainty evidence showed that a higher proportion of individuals in group education plus information sharing had improved knowledge about FGM and its complications (relative risk [RR] 3.09, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.56-3.74; 816 participants), attitude against FGM (RR 1.92, 95% CI 1.59-2.32; 816 participants), and commitment not perform FGM (RR 1.95, 95% CI 1.74-2.19; 816 participants) compared with "no intervention". Group education plus advocacy may improve knowledge about FGM and its complications (RR 1.22, 95% CI 1.14-1.31; 819 participants), attitude (RR 2.16, 95% CI 1.79-2.61; 819 participants) and commitment to not perform FGM (RR 2.59, 95% CI 1.95-3.43; 819 participants) versus "no intervention". CONCLUSIONS: Community-based educational interventions may improve knowledge of FGM, its complications, and decrease support for FGM.