THINK. THINK, THINK.......IS IT RIGHT, WRONG, OR BOTH?

 THINK. THINK, THINK.......IS IT RIGHT, WRONG, OR     BOTH? Post #11

        In my first post, I sounded amazed, angry, surprised and I felt like female circumcision is a brutal procedure. However, after that post I have learned and grew up to realize that the procedure is painful and brutal but it is hard for me to say it is completely right or wrong. In some post, I may imply that it is wrong and in some I might imply that it can go both ways. Female circumcision has been happening for a while now and it is still done. The questions I want my readers to ask themselves is: Is it right, wrong, or needed? Cause I actually want to know what others think after reading the entire posts.

       I am so glad I chose this topic because I learned vital information and I improved my knowledge. This research open my mind to new ideas and acts. Prior to the research I was not really open minded about new things and differences. However, this topic made me realize that people are different and make different choices but I should learn to respect their decision. Does this mean I am implying that female circumcision is right or wrong? At this point, I want to say it is right to some extent and wrong to some extent however if I answer the question there will be bias because people who do it claim they have their reasons for it. There will also be bias because my perspective as an African American female is different so it will influence my decision. My new insight has helped me to be more willing to try new things, learn new things, listen and respect people for who they are. It has also helped me realize that I should not take my opportunity for granted, use it wisely and smartly to help other girls because some young girls are out there that want to be where I am.  This can help others realize that there are several cultural ideas, people are different, and women are treated differently around the world not only in America. People will feel sorry for the girls based of the visual I included in my blog, some will be totally against it and some may have mixed feelings about the idea. But everyone's' answer depends on their ideas, perspective, value, believe and cultural background. Female Circumcision is an interesting topic that will force everyone to think, think, and think.

Institutions. Post #6

                            Institutions

 Institutions affected by female circumcision are the World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations, and UNICEF.  They are affected by FGM because they are organization that look out for the health of everyone around the world. Therefore, if they feel like something is deteriorating the health of a group of people, they work to improve their health. FGM negativly impacts the health of the recipients. 

These organization believe FGM is wrong, and should be stopped because of the health issues people acquire after the procedure. In addition, the procedure does not provided any health benefits. They believe the act abuses women’s rights in the society. These organizations have been working together to eliminate female genital mutation. In 2010, WHO published a list that includes the global strategy to stop people from performing FGM.  Another institution that may be affected are hospitals because they have to take care of the girls in pain after circumcision.  Although, most people do not use the hospitals but some people in developed countries utilize the hospital after the procedure if the complication is beyond self care. We should be concerned because people are dying from the procedure and have curable and non-curable health issues.

Source-For more information go to: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs241/en/ 

To read the strategy list, visit: http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2010/WHO_RHR_10.9_eng.pdf?ua=1

Everyday Experience. Post #5

                                                  Everyday Experience

At least one girl gets circumcised around the world in a day. This practice still remains popular in some culture. The girl may not want to participate in it however the decision is not for her to make. Her father and the society determines if circumcision should be performed even though most of the time there is no debate behind it. After the circumcision these girls experience health problems(pain, hemorrhage), emotional and psychological problems. The inhumane act sometimes makes women lose hope in life. They feel miserable, out of control and sad.  Based on the experience of Kezia Bianca- YWCA of Kenya, I can conclude that girls who get circumcised lose a part of themselves. The community gains control of them while they lose their dignity and control.

          Culture is a huge criteria for evaluating this inhumane act. Some people believe FGM if the proper way for them to welcome girls into womanhood in their culture. While some believe it is a rule in their culture that needs to be obeyed. Girls who get circumcised normally do not have a choice to refuse because they want to follow their culture rules. They agree to follow culture even though the pain they experience makes them feel miserable after. Culture makes female circumcision right.

To read about Kezia Bianca's story visit: http://womenleadingchange.wordpress.com/2012/05/23/female-genital-mutilation-my-story/

Reasons for Female Circumcision. Post #3

                   Reasons for Female Circumcision. Source- Human's Right Quarterly.

Human Right's Quarterly published by The John Hopkins Press written by Alison T. Slack thoroughly explains female circumcision, its origins, myths, why it is done, where it is done, people who believe in it and other interesting information about it. However I will focus on a section of the literature piece that provides reasons why we should think female circumcision is not bad after all. The author provides three reasons to back up her argument for female circumcision. They are: "sexual control of females, religion, myths, and tradition."

             Circumcision as a control mechanism- According to the author, in Muslim countries,  they believe is that female virginity is precious so as a result circumcision should be done to females to destroy their sexual pleasure and to help keep their virginity.

             Circumcision used to obey religion- According to the author, no religion addresses the issue of circumcision however, the practices can be related to Islam.  The practice is done to reduce the women’s sexual contact before marriage because women should not have sex before marriage. The circumcision was used to keep the women pure and reserve the virginity which is very important in the Islamic society.

             Circumcision as a myth- Women should be circumcised to increase the number of their childbirth experience, and to ensure the cleanliness of the genital area. There is also a myth that the clitoris is similar to the fore skin of the penis which justifies the reason of the procedure. Some believe women getting circumcised increases sexual pleasure for men.  While some also believe that the clitoris can cause harm to the baby during childbirth

             Circumcision and tradition- People who participate in female circumcision believe it is the best way to preserve tradition and pass it down to their generations. They believe it is used to represent their values, believes, ideas, and rules. They also believe it is symbol of adulthood in their culture.

              The above reasons were used as a justification for female circumcision. However, the questions we should be asking ourselves are that are these reasons good enough for the pain and horrific experience these women go through. Should women get circumcised to increase the sexual pleasure of men? This reason shows that women are not treated equally as men. It shows that women are not as important as men. I see where the author is coming from when they wrote the reasons why women should get circumcised in the literature piece; however I do not agree with some of the reasons at all because they illustrates how unfairly women are treated. They show that women do no have a say for themselves. For example, it is very unfair for the society to think women should get circumcised for men. If anything, I think it should be a personal choice. Someone who cares about justice will ask, why sex is one of the criteria used to determine the qualification of female genital mutation? They may also ask if it is fair to compare make circumcision to female circumcision?

             The scholarly source approaches the issue differently because it explains the idea from the perspective of a group of people and more than one culture while the web source shares the experience of a family and culture.

               

 For the full text of the source visit: http://www.jstor.org.proxy.cc.uic.edu/stable/761916?seq=9

Source:
Slack, Alison T. "Female Circumcision: A Critical Appraisal." JSTOR. The John Hopkins University Press, n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2014. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/761916?seq=9>.