The purpose of the study was to explore the encounters with the health care system in Sweden of women from Somalia, Eritrea, and Sudan who have been genitally cut. A qualitative study was performed through interviews with 22 women originally from Somalia, Sudan, and Eritrea who were living in Sweden. The women experienced being different and vulnerable, suffering from being abandoned and mutilated, and they felt exposed in the encounter with the Swedish health care personnel and tried to adapt to a new cultural context. The results of this study indicate a need for more individualized, culturally adjusted care and support and a need for systematic education about female genital cutting for Swedish health care workers. © 2006, Sage Publications. All rights reserved.

Migration Female genital mutilation Sweden health care Experiences

education Health Personnel psychological aspect health care personnel human middle aged health service Professional-Patient Relations Aged ethnology human relation health personnel attitude Attitude of Health Personnel Sweden Humans female Africa pregnancy Circumcision, Female Article female circumcision adult migration legal aspect Utilization Review Emigration and Immigration Maternal Health Services attitude to health Africa, Eastern