In Côte d'Ivoire, a review of data on FGM revealed that the repression of any attack on the integrity of a woman's genitals, by way of total or partial mutilation, excision and mechanisms put in place by the state in order to curb or contain the phenomenon by law n°98/757 promulgated on 23 December 1998. Despite this normative provision, the practice of excision still persists today and Côte d'Ivoire has a prevalence rate of 36.7% (MICS, 2016). This study, which will be carried out in 2021 and updated in 2022 on the basis of the MICS 2016, aims to examine the effectiveness of the policy to combat FGM and the institutional capacities of stakeholders to strengthen the effectiveness of their interventions in order to initiate the process of abandoning FGM. In terms of methodology, the study took place in Côte d'Ivoire, specifically in 20 villages in the health districts of Bouna, Bondoukou, Kong and Dabakala. 1120 people, 255 in Bouna, 259 in Bondoukou, 321 in Kong and 285 in Dabakala, took part in the interviews on the representations of FGM and the opportunities and possibilities of abandoning the phenomenon. Through an analysis of the content of the interviews, several interacting variables explain the persistence of the phenomenon, notably the clandestinity of the phenomenon, cross-border excision, the supernatural or mystic factors, ignorance of the law and the establishment of community mechanisms and their limitations. In short, the use of cultural substitutes is a possible and sustainable strategy for change.
