Summary One
In
the article “The Women’s Crusade,” Nickolas D. Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn
explain the discrimination women from different countries around the world
encounter. Kristof and Wudunn focus on the experiences of two females from
different countries, Saima and Abbas, who experience harsh discrimination as a
result of living in an area where women have no authority or limited rights.
Kristof and Wudunn reiterate the importance of aiding these developing areas,
focusing on educating women. Furthermore, Kristof and Wudunn include details in
the reading that informs the reader of the severity of the discrimination women
encounter where, these women experience rape, beatings, and many other different
types of brutalities.
Summary Two
In
the video “Human Trafficking: Modern-day Slavery in America,” CNN interviews
two former modern-day slaves, Nicole and Zena, who were brought to the United
States from Africa along with twenty other females almost ten years ago. According
to CNN the females were promised an education but they were instead enslaved in
Newark, New Jersey. The females were forced to work in hair braiding salons
giving up their freedom, serving clients all day for five to six years with
minimal food, and with the captors taking all the money that the slaves earned.
CNN explains that money was the
main cause for enslaving the girls, which made the captors about 4 million
dollars.
Summary Three
In
the article “Somalia Communities Say ‘NO’ To Female Genital Cutting,” Denise
Shepherd-Johnson describes the gathering of hundreds of men, women and children
to a historical declaration on the collective abandonment of female genital
mutilation by representatives from 20 communities in Somalia. According to Johnson Somalia has one of
the highest rates of female genital mutilation in the world, with more than 98
percent of women between the ages of 15-49 having experienced the process. Johnson
explains that by promoting the development of critical thinking and
decision-making skills, UNICEF empowers communities to prioritize public issues
and resolve problems together.
Shepherd-Johnson, Denise. "Somali
Communities Say ‘No’ To Female Genital Cutting."UNICEF. UNICEF, 14 Dec. 2009. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.
Female’s
Get Mutilated (1st Draft)
Probably
more than half of the world is unaware of the horrifying practices women from
Somalia, a country located in the Eastern part of Africa, encounter. Somalia
has a population of ten million people, with the vast majority of the people
being of Muslim faith. Many communities live in high poverty areas where there
is a lack of education and health resources. Without proper resources to attain
common knowledge communities in Somalia perform horrifying practices on their
women in order to satisfy cultural expectations called Female Genital
Mutilation or Circumcision, a cultural traditional procedure where female
genital organs are partially or completely removed without medical reasons,
essentially to protect a woman’s virginity and honor. Female genital mutilation
may cause severe health issues such as immense pain, prolonged bleeding,
infection, and even death. The practice has triggered a global protest against
female circumcision because of the dangerous health consequences on the
physical well being of women.
The
Somali people have practiced female genital mutilation since a long period of
time, and while female circumcision is performed in 28 African countries as
well, with an estimated 100-140 million girls and women have undergone the
process, the practice is by far more common in Somalia. The Somalis classify
the practice into two forms: Sunna form, which consists of anything less than
infibulations, such as the partial or total removal of the clitoris and labia
minora, and the most extreme form, Pharoanic, or infibulations, which involves a
partial or total removal of the external genitalia and a sealing of the vaginal
opening, leaving only a small hole for urine and menstrual blood to pass (Gele).
The process is often performed on Somali girls between the ages of 4-10 by a
medical practitioner, midwife, or most often by a traditional practitioner from
a family in which generations of that specific family have been traditional
practitioners, circumcisers receive compensation in the form of food,
livestock, money, or all these items. The procedure often takes place in a
rural setting without anesthesia, or in a medical place. In a rural environment
unsanitary tools such as a razor blade, knife, or sharp are often used for the
practice. Unlike the rest of the world where the less severe forms of female
circumcision such as the Sunna form are predominant and consists of 85 percent
of all female genital mutilation, the vast majority of Somali girls are
infibulated, which is approximately 80-90 percent (Gele).
All
regions in Somalia practice female circumcision, but the type of form of the
practice varies in different locations of the country. Infibulations is more
common among pastoralist-dominated communities in the northern and central
parts of the country than in the farming communities of the south. According to
the article “Have We Made Progress In Somalia After 30 Years of Interventions?
Attitudes Toward Female Circumcision Among People In The Hargeisa District,” Abdi
A Gele states that infibulations were nearly nonexistent among southern
communities in the early 19th century, while it was over 95 percent
in the northern pastoralist communities.
There
are many short-term and long-term health consequences associated with female
genital mutilation, with the health risk varying based on the seriousness of
the procedure performed. The sanitary condition of the tools used, the level of
experience the circumciser has, severity of cutting, and the health of the girl
or women often can indicate the health risks. If death occurs, it is often due
to severe bleeding, pain, infection, oozing pus, gangrene, tetanus, chronic
ulcers, or all of these conditions (Kjala). Dramatic swelling near wounds has
led to urine retention that often last for hours or even days. Women often
experience immense pain during sexual intercourse, which makes sex undesirable
to many women who’ve been circumcised.
In
addition, a study was conducted, out of 108 men, 104 or 96 percent preferred to
marry circumcised women over uncircumcised ones. However, 92 or 85 percent
preferred the Sunna form, 12 or 11 percent preferred the pharoanic form and
only 2.8 percent would choose uncircumcised women to be their wives (Gala), the
statistics indicate that men are more likely to support the continuation of
female circumcision than females and the majority prefer a circumcised woman as
a wife. The continued support for female circumcision in Somalia has more to do
with a religious misconception that has to do with a stronger belief that the
Sunna form is a religious obligation than any other reason.
Despite
the inhumane practice and the health consequences, female genital mutilation is
difficult to address. Circumcised girls and women are hesitant to speak about
their experiences because of the fear of being, labeled, and attacked as a
savage, uncivilized society (khaja). Often when circumcised women themselves
have spoken out to remove the practice completely, their own communities have
characterized them as betrayers or sellouts, they are also viewed as women who
have dishonored sacred cultural traditions. Women who choose to speak out
against this cultural practice face high levels of disapproval from their
community. They are often criticized because they are from a non-dominant
culture, furthermore, they have experienced a cultural practice that has been
recognized by the Western society as harmful.
Without
men’s involvement in major controversial issues, the efforts toward the abolishment
of female circumcision may have minimal chance of success. Men’s involvement is
critical in the efforts towards the abandonment of female genital mutilation,
even though men are not the target of the information, education, and communication
campaigns in Somalia, nor have they played a key role in campaigns against
female circumcision (Gele). It is not a simple task for a Somali female
campaigner to talk about the disadvantages of female circumcision to their male
counterparts. According to Gele, “In order to target men, the institutions that
run female circumcision programs should also include men, who can be used to
influence other men’s attitude toward the practice,” Gele is insisting that it
is essential for males to take major roles toward the abolishment of female
mutilation.
In
November of 2009 hundreds, of men, women and children gathered in a Somalia
stadium to witness a historic declaration: the collective abandonment of female
genital mutilation and cutting by representatives from 20 communities. In the
reading “Somali Communities Say ‘No’ to Female Genital Cutting,” Denise
Shepherd-Johnson states, “By promoting the development of critical thinking and
decision-making skills, the UNICEF-supported Tostan program empowers
communities to prioritize public issues and resolve problems together,” the
essence of Johnson’s argument is that if organizations make unity, together
they can promote essential skills and make the lives of Somali women more
pleasurable.
Female
genital mutilation is a horrifying practice that affects the lives of many
women. Organizations must work together in order to strive to understand
diverse cultural practices and work with those who are deprived from the
development of policies and practices in order to insure the health and well
being of all women. If the proposed solutions to address this controversial
issue were to take place, Women’s Rights would claim a historic victory.
Work Cited
Gele, Abdi A., Bente P. Bø, and Johanne
Sundby. "Have We Made Progress In Somalia After 30 Years Of Interventions?
Attitudes Toward Female Circumcision Among People In The Hargeisa
District." BMC Research Notes 6.1
(2013): 1-9.Academic Search Premier.
Web. 12 Feb. 2014.
KHAJA, KHADIJA, KATHY LAY, and STEPHANIE
BOYS. "Female Circumcision: Toward An Inclusive Practice Of Care."Health Care For Women International 31.8
(2010): 686-699. Academic Search
Premier. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.
Shepherd-Johnson, Denise. "Somali
Communities Say ‘No’ To Female Genital Cutting."UNICEF. N.p., 14 Dec. 2009. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.
Female’s
Get Mutilated(2nd Daft)
Probably
more than half of the world is unaware of the horrifying practices women from
Somalia, a country located in the Eastern part of Africa, encounter. Somalia
has a population of ten million people, with the vast majority of the people
being of Muslim faith. Many communities live in high poverty areas where there
is a lack of education and health resources. Without proper resources to attain
common knowledge communities in Somalia perform Female Genital Mutilation (or
circumcision) on their women in order to satisfy cultural expectations. Female
Genital Mutilation or Circumcision, a cultural traditional procedure in which a
female’s genitalia is either partially or completely removed without medical
reason, essentially to protect a woman’s virginity and honor. Female genital
mutilation may cause severe health issues such as immense pain, prolonged
bleeding, infection, and even death. The practice has triggered a global
protest against female circumcision because of the dangerous health
consequences on the physical and emotional well being of women.
The
Somali people have practiced female genital mutilation for many years, and
while female circumcision is performed in 28 African countries as well, with an
estimated 100-140 million girls and women have undergone the process, the
practice is by far more common in Somalia. The Somalis classify the practice
into two forms: Sunna form, which consists of anything less than infibulations,
or cutting and stitching of the vagina, such as the partial or total removal of
the clitoris and labia minora, and the most extreme form, Pharoanic, or
infibulations, which involves a partial or total removal of the external
genitalia and a sealing of the vaginal opening, leaving only a small hole for
urine and menstrual blood to pass (Gele). The process is often performed on
Somali girls between the ages of 4-10 by a medical practitioner, midwife, or
most often by a traditional practitioner from a family in which generations of
that specific family have been traditional practitioners. Circumcisers receive compensation
in the form of food, livestock, money, or all these items, which also serves as
an incentive for the continuation of the practice (Khaja). The procedure often
takes place in a rural setting without anesthesia using unsanitary tools such
as a razor blade, knife, or sharp are often used for the practice. Unlike the
rest of the world where the less severe forms of female circumcision such as
the Sunna form are predominant and consists of 85 percent of all female genital
mutilation, the vast majority of Somali girls, 80-90 percent, are infibulated,
the most extreme method of circumcision (Gele).
All
regions in Somalia practice female circumcision, but the type of form of the
practice varies in different locations of the country. Infibulations is more
common among pastoralist-dominated communities in the northern and central
parts of the country than in the farming communities of the south. According to
the article “Have We Made Progress In Somalia After 30 Years of Interventions?
Attitudes Toward Female Circumcision Among People In The Hargeisa District,” Abdi
A Gele states that infibulations were nearly nonexistent among southern
communities in the early 19th century, while it was over 95 percent
in the northern pastoralist communities.
There
are many short-term and long-term health consequences associated with female
genital mutilation, with the health risk varying based on the seriousness of the
procedure performed, the sanitary condition of the tools used, the level of
experience of the circumciser, the severity of cutting, and the health of the
girl or women often can reveal the health risks. If death occurs, it is often
due to severe bleeding, pain, infection, oozing pus, gangrene, tetanus, chronic
ulcers, or all of these conditions (Kjala). Dramatic swelling near wounds has
led to urine retention that often last for hours or even days. Women often
experience immense pain during sexual intercourse, which makes sex undesirable
to many women who’ve been circumcised, and high-risk pregnancies.
However,
this procedure is formed largely due to the continued acceptance of traditional
practices, which is what is expected from most communities on Somalia. A study mentioned
in “Have We Made Progress In Somalia After 30 Years Of Interventions? Attitudes
Toward Female Circumcision Among People In The Hargeisa District” revealed that
96 percent of men surveyed stated that they preferred to marry a circumcised
woman over uncircumcised ones. In addition, 85 percent preferred the Sunna form
(the less invasive), while 11 percent preferred the pharoanic (Gala). Only 2.8
percent would marry an uncircumcised woman. The statistics indicate that men
are more likely to support the continuation of female circumcision than females
and the majority prefers a circumcised woman as a wife. Families are cautious
that in order for their daughters to reach marriage they must comply with
traditional rituals and force them into these horrifying practices, since males
are more likely to prefer a circumcised female to ensure virginity and fidelity.
The continued support for female circumcision in Somalia has more to do with a
religious misconception, idea that circumcision is a necessity, which has to do
with a stronger belief that the Sunna form is a religious obligation than any
other reason.
Despite
the inhumane practice and the health consequences, female genital mutilation is
difficult to address. Circumcised girls and women are hesitant to speak about
their experiences because of the fear of being, labeled, and attacked as a
savage, uncivilized society (Khaja). Often when circumcised women have spoken
out in their own communities to stop the practice, their own communities have
characterized them as betrayers of traditional morals. Furthermore, they are
also viewed as women who have dishonored sacred cultural traditions. Women who
choose to speak out against this cultural practice face high levels of
disapproval from their community. They are often criticized because they are
from a non-dominant culture where their voice has no meaning, in addition, they
have experienced a cultural practice that has been recognized by the Western society
as harmful, resulting in dishonor from the family or community for opposing the
practice.
Without
men’s involvement in major controversial issues, the efforts toward the abolishment
of female circumcision may have minimal chance of success. Men’s involvement is
critical in the efforts towards the abandonment of female genital mutilation
since it is a male dominant culture. However, men are rarely the target of the
information, education, and communication campaigns against female circumcision
in Somalia, which is problematic (Gele). It is not a simple task for a Somali
female campaigner to talk about the disadvantages of female circumcision to
their male counterparts. According to Abdi A. Gele, “In order to target men,
the institutions that run female circumcision programs should also include men,
who can be used to influence other men’s attitude toward the practice” it is
essential for males to take major roles toward the abolishment of female
mutilation.
In
November of 2009 hundreds, of men, women and children gathered in a Somalia
stadium to witness a historic declaration: the collective abandonment of female
genital mutilation and cutting by representatives from 20 communities. In the
reading “Somali Communities Say ‘No’ to Female Genital Cutting,” Denise
Shepherd-Johnson states, “By promoting the development of critical thinking and
decision-making skills, the UNICEF-supported Tostan program empowers
communities to prioritize public issues and resolve problems together,” the
essence of Johnson’s argument is that if organizations make unity, together
they can promote essential skills and make the lives of Somali women more
pleasurable. Although international regulations have passed to ban all forms of
female circumcision, since it is described as violence against females due to
the severe affects it has on health, it still persists as part of daily life in
half of the countries in Africa. (Khaja).
Female
genital mutilation is a horrifying practice that affects the lives of many
women in Somalia. Increasing awareness over this controversial issue can be key
in officially abolishing female circumcision. Organizations must work together,
along with the public, in order to strive to understand diverse cultural
practices and work with those who are deprived from the development of policies
and practices in order to insure the health and well being of all women. If the
proposed solutions to address this controversial issue were to take place,
Women’s Rights would claim a historic victory.
Work Cited
Gele, Abdi A., Bente P. Bø, and Johanne
Sundby. "Have We Made Progress In Somalia After 30 Years Of Interventions?
Attitudes Toward Female Circumcision Among People In The Hargeisa
District." BMC Research Notes 6.1
(2013): 1-9.Academic Search Premier.
Web. 12 Feb. 2014.
Khaja, Khadija, Kathy Lay, and Stephanie
Boys. "Female Circumcision: Toward An Inclusive Practice Of Care."Health Care For Women International 31.8
(2010): 686-699. Academic Search
Premier. Web. 12 Feb. 2014.
Shepherd-Johnson, Denise. "Somali
Communities Say ‘No’ To Female Genital Cutting."UNICEF. UNICEF, 14 Dec. 2009. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.
No comments:
Post a Comment