Hassan, his wife and two daughters aged 11 and 13, moved to the United States from the Sudan seven years ago. Both parents sought and achieved citizenship. The year, prior to a planned brief visit to Khartoum in the Sudan, both daughters ran away from home several times and were returned by the police. When asked by a social worker whether their parents mistreated them, both girls said their parents loved them and took good care of them. After careful inquiry, the social worker learned that the girls did not want to return to the Sudan because the purpose of the visit was to perform clitorectiomies on both girls. What should the social worker do with this information?

Question

A. The social worker can and should do nothing. Female circumcision is an accepted cultural practice in North Africa and among many Islamic cultures, and the worker has no warrant to impose her values on the family.
B. There is no question that this situation fits the criteria of child abuse. The worker should take immediate steps to involve the child protective agency and to prevent the family from performing the surgery.
C. The social worker should suggest that the family enter family counseling to try and reach some accommodation that all could agree with.
D. The social worker should suggest that the family have the procedure done in the US to reduce the girl's fear and to insure a better medical result.

Answer 1

B. There is no question that this situation fits the criteria of child abuse. The worker should take immediate steps to involve the child protective agency and to prevent the family from performing the surgery.

Clitorectomies are primitive cruel cultural practices that many human rights advocates believe should be banned. The social worker should treat this situation as a child abuse issue and involve the protective agency to protect the children. Immediate action is needed since the family plans to travel to the Sudan.