What is cultural sensitivity or cultural awareness?
When keeping a protective eye out for students with regard to FGM/C, it’s important to remain culturally sensitive and to practice cultural awareness in various scenarios. Cultural sensitivity and awareness exercises an appreciation for another culture’s values and practices.1 Culture is not limited to one’s ethnic background, but also includes other racial and social groups that differ from yours. Educators should not make assumptions about students' cultural practices, and should not assume every student with links to a country that practices FGM, has had or is at risk of FGM.
Why cultural sensitivity is essential when dealing with FGM/C
A qualitative study of a Somali community in the United Kingdom found that FGM-safeguarding practices often translated into stigmatization and traumatizing experiences.2 The community members in the study were committed to ending FGM, but still reported the challenges that came out of the hyper-focus on one’s culture. Key findings from the study included the school setting and noted that if families wanted to take their children on vacation, regardless of whether it was an FGM-impacted area or not, they were more at risk of being referred to social services or mothers were questioned directly about their personal experiences with FGM.2 Additionally, school referrals would lead to home visits by authoritative officials, such as social services or police. The stigmatization was also seen in clinical settings, at the community level, or when traveling. These negative experiences led to feelings of alienation, fear, and trauma. Despite being active in working against FGM, the Somali community in Bristol felt their voices and actions were being ignored.2
This example provides an important lens to look through when practicing FGM/C safeguarding within your school. There is a delicate balance to strike between ensuring you are picking up on risk factors or behavior changes, while also remaining culturally sensitive.
Here are some tips for guiding conversations in a culturally sensitive way:
Page last reviewed: May 16, 2023
Page last updated: May 16, 2023
This toolkit was produced by George Washington University with under 2020-V3-GX-K009, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this presentation are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.