ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the future of infibulation. In the case of Somalia, the infibulation practiced among both pastoral and town populations, probably with equal intensity. Indeed, although adequate statistics are not available, it does appear that the intensity with which infibulation is practiced, as well as the extent to which the operation varies from simple excision to radical infibulation is different in Somalia and the Sudan. It can only be hoped that general changes in the overall health and hygiene conditions in the area under consideration, combined with educational campaigns will, in the long term, aid in eliminating both the indigenously expressed need and desire for the operation of infibulation. The Sudan Demographic and Health Survey (SDHS) report attributes the higher levels of opposition to female circumcision in the urban setting to the higher levels of education prevalent among urban residents. The SDHS indicated that of the women with no education, approximately $2 percent supported the continuation of the practice.
