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Coercion versus facilitation: Context and the implementation of anti-FGM/C law

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2024

Agnes Meroka-Mutua ,
Daniel Mwanga ,
Susan L. Ostermann  and
Joséphine Wouango
Agnes Meroka-Mutua
Affiliation:
Law & African Women Studies, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
Daniel Mwanga
Affiliation:
Population Council, Nairobi, Kenya
Susan L. Ostermann*
Affiliation:
Global Affairs & Political Science, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
Joséphine Wouango
Affiliation:
Sociology, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
*
Susan L. Ostermann, Global Affairs & Political Science, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA., Email: sosterma@nd.edu
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Abstract

A common policy response to female genital mutilation/cutting (“FGM/C”) is the enactment of criminal prohibitions. The implementation of such prohibitions requires significant state capacity, which is often associated with the coercion. We examine compliance with anti-FGM/C law in Burkina Faso and Kenya, two countries which are thought to have markedly different state capacity and where the practice of FGM/C has been widespread. Using a hard-case comparison and both qualitative and quantitative approaches, including a list experiment to elicit accurate responses regarding the current state of FGM/C practice, we find that Burkina Faso and Kenya have achieved comparatively similar compliance with their respective anti-FGM/C laws. We explain this surprising finding by pointing to the different implementation approaches taken by each state, one coercive and one facilitative, and the degree to which those approaches were well-matched to the attitudes of their respective populations. This paired comparison suggests that coercively weak states may still be able to secure compliance with their laws. It also suggests that academics and policymakers alike should consider the numerous other capacities states possess beyond simple coercion.

Type
Articles
Information
Law & Society Review , Volume 55 , Issue 4 , December 2021 , pp. 587 - 613
Copyright
© 2021 Law and Society Association.

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Footnotes

How to cite this article: Meroka-Mutua, Agnes, Daniel Mwanga, Susan L. Ostermann, Joséphine Wouango. 2021. “Coercion versus facilitation: Context and the implementation of anti-FGM/C law.” Law & Society Review 55(4): 587-613. https://doi.org/10.1111/lasr.12579

Funding information Department for International Development, Grant/Award Number: No specific grant number; grant was called "Eviden

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