Reviewer ’s report  
 
Title: “When my mother called to say that the time of cutting had arrived, I escaped to Belgium  
with my daughter ”: Identifying turning points in the change of attitudes towards the practice of  
Female Genital Mutilation among migrant women in Belgium  
 
Version: 0 Date: 09 Feb 2020  
 
Reviewer: Samuel Kimani  
 
Reviewer's report:  
 
Review Comments: "When my mother called to say that the time of cutting had arrived, I 
escaped to Belgium with my daughter": Identifying turning points in the change of attitudes 
towards the practice of Female Genital Mutilation among migrant women in Belgium"  
 
The authors well thought narrative titled "When my mother called to say that the time of cutting 
had arrived, I escaped to Belgium with my daughter": Identifying turning points in the change of 
attitudes towards the practice of Female Gen ital Mutilation among migrant women in Belgium" 
is presented. This paper has critical important findings on social norms and turning points 
towards FGM. The paper is very well thought and reads very well. Nonetheless I have the 
following comments:  
 
Backgrou nd  
1. Page 3 line 4 -5 correct spelling for Sub Saharan Africa need to be checked  
2. Page 3 line 19 -20 "but with the intention of reducing the woman's role to a child 
bearing one  
without functioning for sexual pleasure [4]. This statement is not clear.  
 
Methods  
1. The authors should consider including a chart under study participants section 
depicting the distribution of participants by some major characteristic (s)e.g. age, country of 
origin, occupation etc.  
2. There is need to include the source of bias? How they were addressed, including self -
biases and how they were addressed in the study?  
3. There is need for more details on the consenting process.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Are the methods appropriate and well described?  
If not, please specify what is required in your comments t o 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 i n your comments to the authors.  
 
Yes 
 
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 inter ests, 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  
financially 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 c ontent of the  
manuscript?  
 
4. Have you received reimbursements, fees, funding, or salary from an organization 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 the above, write 'I declare that I have no competing interests' 
below.  If your reply is yes to any, please give details below.  
 
None  
 
I agree to the open pee r review policy of the journal. I understand that my name will be included  
on my report to the authors and, if the manuscript is accepted for publication, my named report  
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