...Lwantale Stephanie Wilhelm English 112 April 20, 2013 Genital mutilation: Negotiating Human Rights and Culture! I come from a small country called Uganda. We perform certain acts not because we want to, but as culture dictates. I remember being oblivious to genital mutilation, but all this changed during my years in high school because I attended boarding school. As adolescents, we enjoyed talking about our sexuality and bodies. One sunny Saturday evening, as we sat down in our dormitory, one of the girls asked if anyone had under gone genital mutilation just like her. Diana yelled out loud: “It was one of the most embarrassing and painful experiences I have ever gone through.” She said that it is held in a group setting and the act involves cutting off one’s labia minora. I was in total dismay! My family chose to stubbornly ignore certain cultural acts and this is one I am happy to have skipped judging from the information I know right now. The second time I heard of it was during my last year in high school. We had a social studies class that everyone used to enjoy so much because it had some very interesting topics. Interesting and controversial topics just like female genital mutilation. The topic at hand one chilly morning was female genital mutilation. I was prone to being absent minded and being mentally absent from class. Just hearing the three words woke me up. Ms. Kelly Miti described it as the cutting off of a few of a woman’s sexual parts which I found pretty...
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...Female Genital Mutilation “The sound of the scissors cutting the flesh between Soraya Miré’s legs is a sound she will never forget” (Ottney, 2012). What Soraya Miré was experiencing was Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), the procedure by which all or some of the female sex organs are removed. The history of this ritual is long, and the effects are not only physical it has many long-lasting mental and psychological consequences. The practice of FGM on infants, girls, and adolescents predates Islam and Christianity. Strong evidence points to FGM being practiced in the times of the Pharaohs. Some of the earliest instances of FGM have been found in the tombs of female mummies in Egypt (Nielson, 2010). Today the World Health Organization (WHO) (2012) website states that the women and girls who are most at risk for this procedure dwell in western, eastern, and north-eastern regions of Africa, in some countries in Asia and the Middle East, and among migrants from these areas. However, there was a small window of time at the end of April 2010 in the United States that gave permission to Pediatrics Doctors to perform a version of FGM. According to Belluck (2010) the American Academy of Pediatrics “suggested that American doctors be given permission to perform a ceremonial pinprick or “nick” on girls from these cultures if it would keep their families from sending them overseas for the full circumcision.” Modern societies reasoning for continuing this practice...
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...Female Gentile Mutilation (FGM) Female Gentile Mutilation (FGM) is a practice or tradition that involves partially or completely removing the external genitalia of girls and young women for nonmedical reasons. It is illegal in many countries but first started taking place and is still currently in practice in some African countries as well as within the Middle East. This act affects young girls between infancy and age 15, the procedure is a problem because it offers absolutely no health benefits for girls and women. The earliest record of FGM was made by Strabo, the Greek geographer and history specialist who reported a circumcision on young Egyptian girls in 25BC. Then again, it is trusted that FGM was happening a few centuries before this, and was spread by dominant tribes and civilizations as a result of tribal, ethnic, and cultural allegiances. In some countries, FGM is a rite of passage, which signifies a young lady's move to womanhood and her status to wed. FGM in many communities is believed to reduce a woman's desire to have sex and is also supposed to help her oppose sexual acts. At the point when a vaginal opening is covered, the fear of it opening and the fear of it being discovered is what scares young girls away from committing sexual acts. There is also a belief in some cases that a woman's genitalia is ugly or unclean. Aside from the pain and distress involved in the procedure at the time, there can also be long-term health consequences involving infertility...
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...CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Female circumcision is a traditional practice performed on girl children as part of initiation rituals into adulthood. This inquiry seeks to demystify the secretiveness surrounding this practice, seeking to establish the reasons why female circumcision remains a taboo subject. In doing so, the researcher will attempt to establish the local community’s perception of female circumcision and elucidate some of the reasons practitioners cite as benefits of female circumcision. The research focuses on Mabvuku and Tafara suburbs because there are people of different ethnic groups with varying customs and values that shape their behaviour and way of life. Mabvuku and Tafara have an unusually high concentration of people of Malawian, Mozambican and Zambian origin who migrated to seek work mostly before the Zimbabwean independence. Due to this diversity, women and girls who have undergone female circumcision were interviewed. Mabvuku is a high-density suburb some seventeen kilometres east of Harare. It is classified as a suburb or township of Harare, with the Harare City Council constituting local government. This inquiry is exploratory, descriptive and qualitative in nature, based on interviews with women who had undergone the practice in Mabvuku-Tafara. The inquiry can be termed therefore, a qualitative research done through a case study design. This research method is preferred because the researcher is exploring a subjective understanding of social reality...
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...Female Genital mutilation also known as “female circumcision” is an invasive surgical procedure, prefermormed in African cultures on females age 7 days to 15 years old. Though there are four different types of surgery, they all require the complete or partial removal of varies parts of the female genital organs. The surgery can consist of pricking or tampering with the clitoris with a forgeign object Female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as female genital cutting and female circumcision, is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons."[1] The practice is carried out by some communities who believe it reduces a woman's libido[3] — an official with the top Muslim clerical body of the largest Muslim-majority nation of the world, the Indonesian Ulema Council, said the practice (of FGM) is a religious obligation that should be done to control women’s sexual desires.[4] The WHO has offered four classifications of FGM. The main three are Type I, removal of the clitoral hood, almost invariably accompanied by removal of the clitoris itself (clitoridectomy); Type II, removal of the clitoris and inner labia; and Type III (infibulation), removal of all or part of the inner and outer labia, and usually the clitoris, and the fusion of the wound, leaving a small hole for the passage of urine and menstrual blood—the fused...
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...Sonia Grover’s article primarily concerns female genital mutilations. The article begins by discussing society’s changing attitude towards male circumcision in recent years. She explains that in Australia male circumcisions have been declining since the 1950’s. Glover notes that currently only 10% of Australia’s males undergo circumcision and then explains how this decline in male circumcisions is a general trend around the world. The author believes the decline in male circumcision is due to the community recognizing that there are many health risks associated with the procedure and no health advantages, although some still undergo the procedure for cultural and religious reasons. Glover continues by explaining that the slow change in attitudes towards male circumcision in Australia is also likely to occur for female genital mutilation (FGM) around the world. She uses the World Health Organization’s definition of FGM as “all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons” (p 614). Many adult women who have undergone FGM prefer for it to be called female genital cutting or female circumcision (FGC) out of respect for their culture and traditions. The author notes that between 130–140 million women and girls have undergone FGC procedures. These procedures range from minor, such as cutting of the clitoris, to severe, such as joining the labia majora or completely removing...
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...Page 1 Female Genital Mutilation Denena White Soc 121 Marnie Carroll August 13, 2012 Mutilation Page 2 Female Genital Mutilation Female genital mutilation is a cultural practice that is cruel and violent. This cultural procedure is performed on infants, young girls, and women of certain cultures. The utilitarianism theory would claim this cultural practice unethical because it does not achieve the greatest amount of happiness for the greatest number of people. The deontology theory will claim this cultural practice unethical because the action is wrong and dangerous according to medical studies. Female genital mutilation has no medical benefits, only severe dangers. Therefore, there should be laws preventing this procedure being practiced on infants and young girls. It should only be allowed to be performed on willing, consenting adults who are fully aware of the risks they are taking by following through with the procedure. Female genital circumcision originated in Africa and is now practiced in 28 African countries. It is also practiced in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and India. It is a cultural practice, not a religious practice. “Female genital mutilation is often called female circumcision. This implies that it is...
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...Female circumcision is also known, more accurately, as female genital mutilation and female genital cutting (FGC.) There are three forms of FGC. The first is a clitoridectomy, the cutting and/or removal of the hood of the clitoris and all or part of the clitoris. The second is an excision which removes the clitoris, the hood, and the labia minor (the inner folds of the vulva that is responsible for producing lubrication.) The infibulation is the third and most radical which also removes everything in the excision along with the labia majora, the outer folds of the vulva. Once removed the sides of the vulva are sewn together leaving a small hole (about pencil size) for the flow of menstruation and urine. The tradition of FGC dates back more...
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...Female genital mutilation, also known as female circumcision, or female genital cutting, has been practiced for several thousand years in almost 30 African and Middle Eastern nations. The World Health Organization estimates between 100 and 132 million women and girls worldwide have been subjected to female genital mutilation and an estimated 2 million are at risk each year. Every day innocent girls go through excruciating pain every day without even knowing why. Some die and others are cursed to live a life full of health complications. Female genital mutilation currently occurs in 28 African countries and is found among some ethnic groups is Yemen, Oman, and the United Emirates, as well as parts of Malaysia and Indonesia. Within practicing African countries, prevalence ranges from 5% to almost 100% of women affected (Female Genital Mutilation). There are also increasingly found in Europe, Australia, Canada, and the USA, primarily among immigrants from these countries. female genital mutilation is illegal in most western countries, and , now, in many African nations, although laws are ignored and it is still practiced, either secretly in private homes or clinics, or by sending unsuspecting girls back to the parent’s home country for a “vacation”, to get circumcised. Female genital mutilation involves the removal of genital tissues from girls and it is performed in different ways, depending on the culture or location where it takes place. When women have their babies, they...
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...I am sickened by the thought of female genital mutilation. I do not understand how and why it is done to women. I understand that cultures are different and in some, this is okay, but honestly, it makes no sense to me. I was so surprised to read that data was collected regarding female genital mutilation in 29 countries. Is that not a lot? Too many even? There are so many things that could go wrong at the time or even in the future for these young women. Problem with childbirth, infertility, extreme amounts of pain, and many more. The article does mention that many of the countries that have a history of this tradition now favor ending the practice. But just because they favor the idea of ending the tradition, does not mean that it will end....
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...W7000 – WRITING SKILLS My research topic is on Female Circumcision, otherwise known as Female Genital Mutilation (FMG). Female Genital Mutilation is a procedure that involves intentional alteration or cutting of female genital organs for non- medical reasons, from age infant to 10 years and older depending on the community. Studies have shown that this practice does not have any health benefit to any female, but rather it causes damages. FGM practice is recognized as a violation of human rights of girls and women; it reflects deep rooted inequality between sexes and constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against women. No matter the justification or reason that supporters of female genital mutilation my advance, the practice is not only barbaric and primitive, but scientifically and socially uncalled for and should be eradicated. This practice has numerous hazardous health consequences of immediate and delayed complications, apart from their negative psychological and social impact, also sometimes proved fatal in many instances (Rushwan, 1983 and 1994, El Dareer, 1983, Shandal and AbulFutuh, 1967). This violates a person right to health, security and physical integrity. FGM practice is associated with traditional beliefs of communities in Africa, New Zealand, and the United States of America and Canada. This practice is carried out without anesthetics and antiseptic treatments, using basic tools such as knives, scissors, scalpels, pieces of glass and razor blades. ...
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...Female genital mutilation (FGM) is known as female genital cutting and female circumcision. It involves partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. The advantage of this circumcision is that it reduces excessive sensitivity of the clitoris and it prevents stimulation of the clitoris which makes it grow large in such a manner that it causes pain. In other words, it helps reduced women sex drive or their desire for sex. However, there are also the so- called disadvantages about this issue, and that involves the removal and damaging the healthy and normal female genital tissue, and interferes with the natural functions of girls' and women's bodies. It can harm girls and women in many ways. Furthermore, this practice is common among Meranao women. Before I write this reaction paper I had to think twice whether these proceedings can harm or benefit the women nowadays to absolutely give a better reason for my choice. So, As a woman and a biology student, I disagree about this practice because it can lead to severe complications especially when not performed properly. It can complicate our pregnancy in the future and caused us to serious physical and mental health risk and higher risk of painful and bleeding complication which can lead us to lethality. On the other hand, as a teenager who is aware of the extreme increased in premarital sex and adultery in our country, I would probably agree on this...
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...Rites of Passage: Female Genitalia Cutting Cultural Anthropology ANT101 Rites of Passage: Female Genitalia Cutting Have you heard of Female Genitalia Cutting or FGC? It is not an unknown practice here in the United States, but laws prevent it from occurring here. In other cultures in other countries Female Genitalia Cutting is being performed to children as young as 5 years old. In Cultures like Maasai in Tanzania and Shendi in Sudan these procedures are being performed on children as young as three. Is this a form of mutilation? Or is it the right thing to do to a child? Growing up in these cultures they are taught that this is the right thing that must be done, to show that they are fertile, to show their fidelity. A tradition that goes back over a hundred years and their “stubbornness” to end tradition keeps this rite of passage going. Female Genitalia Cutting is the cutting of the female external genitalia, there are four forms of female genitalia cutting according to the World Health Organization also known as WHO. Clitoridectomy, excision, infibulation and other which is any harmful procedure done for non-medical reasons such as piercings. All of these procedures are normally done by a person who has no medical training and can cause death or infection to the person it is being practiced on. Clitoridectomy is cutting the clitoris as what the name says, the excision removes the clitoris and labia minora and the most invasive is the infibulation which...
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...Africa: Female Genital Mutilation GEO102B: Final Project May 20, 2013 Female circumcision seems to be the hottest trend in the United States right now. Females are having the hood of their clitorises removed to gain greater sexual pleasure and sensation. Another type of female circumcision done in the United States, which is considered cosmetic, is having the labia reshaped and evened up. According to Sandra Bell, there are unsubstantiated reports that some women in the United States are in communities where an extreme form of female circumcision is the ritual sacrifice of the entire external clitoris (Bell, 2012). In Africa an estimated 114 million women and girls have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM), that consists of partial or total removal of the external female genitalia (WHO, 2012). In Africa those procedures are not done for pleasurable or cosmetic reasons. FGM is internationally recognized as a violation of the human rights of girls and women in Africa. Before we label female circumcision a trend, we need to be informed of what FGM is considered in other countries, why it’s done, and what is being done to eliminate this practice. FGM is mostly practiced in the western, eastern, and north-eastern regions of Africa. It was a part of the tribal coming of age and remains, a cultural, not a religious practice. It is highly controversial and condemned by most religious organizations. FGM is practiced in many forms. Listed...
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...FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION IN THE UNITED STATES Protecting Girls and Women in the U.S. from FGM and Vacation Cutting ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Sanctuary for Families would like to recognize and thank the many women whose stories and voices inspired and informed this report. Their identities have been withheld for their safety and privacy. The primary authors of this report are Archana Pyati and Claudia De Palma. Mariama Diallo, Laura-Lee Atkinson-Hope, and Sayoni Maitra contributed significant research, writing, and editing, and Kaitlin Juleus designed the report. The law firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP contributed considerable legal research and analysis. ABOUT SANCTUARY FOR FAMILIES Sanctuary for Families is dedicated to the safety, healing and self-determination of victims of domestic violence and related forms of gender violence. Through comprehensive services for our clients and their children, and through outreach, education and advocacy, we strive to create a world in which freedom from gender violence is a basic human right. Based in New York City, Sanctuary offers clinical, legal, shelter and economic empowerment services to more than 10,500 adults and children each year. We also seek to address the systemic barriers that perpetuate the cycle of violence by engaging in public outreach and education, and advocating for legislative and policy change. Sanctuary’s Center for Battered Women’s Legal Services is the largest provider in the United States of legal services...
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