Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: A qualitative assessment of women’s perspectives and experience of female genital 
mutilation in Iraqi Kurdistan Region  
 
Version: 0 Date: 27 Jan 2019  
 
Reviewer: Endalkachew Assefa  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
Comments  
1) There are peoples preferred FGC (cutting) instead of FGM. How do you see it?  
 
2) It will be difficult to get individual experience and feeling in group discussion on such 
sensitive issue(FGM).How are you sure that you get all their experiences and feelings?  
 
3) On conclusion you mentioned '....active involvement of the religious leade rs and enforcing 
the law banning FGM are essential measures to combat FGM in Iraqi Kurdistan Region'  
You don't have a strong evidence to recommend this.  Why is the necessity to combat it?  
Are the methods appropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
Does the work include the necessary controls?  
If not, please specify which controls are required in your comments to  the authors.  
 
Unable to assess  
 
Are the conclusions drawn adequately supported by the data shown?  
If not, please explain in your comments to the authors.  
 
No 
 
Are you able to assess any statistics in the manuscript or would you recommend an  
additional statistical review?  
If an additional statistical review is recommended, please specify what aspects require further  
assessment in your comments to the editors.  
 
Not relevant to this manuscript  
 
  
Quality of written English  
Please indicate the quality of language in the manuscript:  
 
Acceptable  
 
Declaration of competing interests  
Please complete a declaration of competing interests, considering the following questions:  
 
1. Have you in the past five years received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary from an  
organisation that may in any way gain or lose financially from the publication of this  
manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
2. Do you hold any stocks or shares in an organisation that may in any way gain or lose  
financi ally from the publication of this manuscript, either now or in the future?  
 
3. Do you hold or are you currently applying for any patents relating to the content of the  
manuscript?  
 
4. Have you received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary from an organiz ation that 
holds  or has applied for patents relating to the content of the manuscript?  
 
5. Do you have any other financial competing interests?  
 
6. Do you have any non -financial competing interests in relation to this paper?  
 
If you can answer no to all of th e above, write 'I declare that I have no competing interests' 
below.  If your reply is yes to any, please give details below.  
 
I declare that I have no competing interests  
 
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