Female Genital Mutilation is a cultural tradition, recognized as a violation of human rights and dignity of girls. Many countries
develop educational programs that offer alternatives to the ritual. The research questions to which we are seeking answers are:
what was the meaning of the practice to the populations? In the community educational programs, what does the alternative ritual
consist of? The aims of the study were: to explore the experiences of Guineans immigrant women that lived in communities
where the practice was performed, to describe how, where, and who was usually involved, to identify the effects of the
mutilation, and to evaluate the effectiveness of the educational programs developed to eradicate the practice. A qualitative design
was chosen. Data were collected by a semi-structure interview from eight immigrant women from Guinea Bissau living in the
North of Portugal. Participants were never invited to answer if they had undergone the practice in the past. A religious leader was
invited to mediate the relationship with them. Findings show that Type II is the most common form of mutilation. It was shaped
by a complex interplay of cultural factors related to the initiation into womanhood, the status of woman and the need to be
accepted by men. We did not find a direct relation between religion and mutilation. Educational programs offer an alternative to
the ritual (“symbolic fanado”). The educational programs are in general inclusive and culturally-sensitive. They contribute to the
reduction of the prevalence of female mutilation, involving the community and respecting the local culture. Instead of imposition,
the programs develop a cul