Spritual Rape: a look at female genital mutilation

It is a cultural practice that could result in serious infections, HIV, abscesses, small benign tumors, hemorrhages, shock, clitoral cysts, kidney stones, sterility, sexual dysfuntion, depression, various urinary tract infections and even death.

Female genital mutilation, also known as FGM.

FGM originated in Africa. Most people have the misconseption the practice is religious and its early rise came from Islam. Wrong. It is not a religious practice. It is a cultural rite of passage that initiates women into their society. According to Relgious Tolerance, every 15 seconds a child is victimized. Nearly 6,000 girls worldwide undergo FGM every day.

What is femal genital mutilation? FGM is the removal of all the external parts of a female's genitals. In some cases, just part of the female genitalia is removed. These "surgeries" are done using razor blades, broken glass, knives or anything that is sharp. Anesthesia or sanitation measures are not taken. There are three different types of procedures, according to Hanny Lightfood-Klein. Sunna Circumcision involves the removal of the prepuce, which is also known as the hood or the "tip" of the clitoris. Clitoridectomy involves the removal of the entire clitoris and the surrounding labia (the inner and outer lips). Infibulation, which is viewed as the most vulgar procedure of the three, involves performing a clitoridectomy, then having the vagina stiched up, only leaving a small hole for urine and menstual blood flow. The result: dreadful pain, massive bleeding and horrendous infection.

What drives the cultures and societies to continue this practice? They believe removal will reduce a woman's desire for sexual pleasure prior to, during, or after marriage. Some view the clitoris and labia (inner lips) surrounding it as male parts on a female body. Some suspect the female is unclean if she does not recieve FGM. One argument or superstition in support of this practice is if the baby's head touches the clitoris during labor it will die; another is if the head of the penis touches the clitoris, the man will die. Other myths, according to the members of Tripod, a group devoted to women's right include:
1. Females cannot concieve without the clitoris removed.
2. Removing it will prevent vaginal cancer.
3. Leaving it intact can lead to homosexuality.

The justification for these procedures continues to circulate and misinform generation after generation. Is this a human rights issue? According to human rights experts, "The issue of FGM has garnered increasing global attention over the past several years." Amnesty International, one of the research groups that conducts and campaigns on these issues, has taken steps to ensure the government criminalizes FGM in America. In other countries, human rights groups are working to establish asylums or safe havens for those who may be subjected to mutilation. Unfortunately, legislation against FGM is forcing the activities underground. This might result in young women not seeking the medical attention they need, fearing their parents might be charged with a crime.

Contrary to expectations, this ancient custom is not defended by men. It is supported by its survivors, the elders who insist that girls who are not circumcised become plagues among their culture as unmarried women. FGM and its atrocities affects its victims in ways beyond our imagination. The physical scars. The mental anguish. It's a suffering that will haunt them for the rest of their lives. We as a community, even as a nation, cannot entirely stop FGM. But AWARENESS can get us one step closer.

For more information about FGM, visit www.stopfgmc.org

Coming up in October...

"Spritual Rape"
It is not a religious practice but a rite of passage that initiates women into their society. A look at FGM: female genital mutilation.


"Dying to be Thin"
89 % of women obsessively worry about their physical appearance. Are you at risk? Anorexia Nervosa: an in-depth look at the disease that kills.


"Skinny Bitch" by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin
A book reveiw about "a no-nonsense tough-love guide for savvy girls who want to stop eating crap and start looking fabulous!" Do the authors go too far?

Afghanistan: The Living Dead

November 1994. A notorious group of uneducated street boys emerged from refugee camps and religious schools near Pakistan to form the Taliban. Their goal: to restore Afghanistan to its purest state. But these thugs and their leader, Muhammad Omar, imposed laws that would inevitably oppress women under Taliban rule.

Until recently, before the Taliban came to power, Saudi Arabia was known as one of the most restrictive countries in the world, particularly for women. The head of the Taliban governing council states, "We have long regarded the Saudi Kingdom as our right hand." According to Jan Goodwin, editor of On the Issues, the Taliban controls between 65 and 85 percent of Afghanistan. That number could be higher.

With curfews in some parts of the region beginning at 7:30 p.m., it is difficult for women to do anything, considering the barbaric and sometimes even deadly punishements that could follow. Ever since the Taliban was able to gain control of Afghanistan, daily activities such as movies, music, wedding parties, picnics, celebrations and unisex gatherings are illegal. Women are no longer allowed to pursue education or employment opportunities, and they are even banned from going to male physicians for medical emergencies. It is also illegal for women under the Taliban to wear any kind of makeup, jewelry, nail polish, or to tweeze eyebrows, to trim hair, to be seen in sheer stockings, or to wear clothing that displays style or bright colors. Shoes that make too much "noise" while walking the streets and talking loudly or laughing in public are also forbidden. Women must also be fully covered by a burqa veil, which costs a "whopping" $9. The burqa is usually a difficult item for Afghan women to obtain due to their financial status. In Afghanistan, $9 is comparable to five month's pay. Since women are not employed and many of their husbands are deceased, they must often share a veil. It can take days or even weeks for a veil to be available for the mere duty of grocery shopping or going to the doctor. And when a veil finally becomes available, these women risk their lives. Women wearing the burqa often are run over by cars on the streets because the burqa has thick gauze that covers the entire eye area, diminishing peripheral vision.

On Feb. 27, 1998, some 30,000 men and boys gathered in the ruins of an Olympic sports stadium in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. According to the website www.mosaic.echo.nyc.com, the crowd waited with biscuits and tea, not to watch a soccer match or a baseball game, but to cheer a scheduled flogging. A young woman named Sohalia was to recieve 100 lashes as punishment for adultery. Her crime? She was seen in the streets with a man who was not a relative. Sohalia is lucky; had she been married she would have been stoned to death. Sohalia is not alone. It's not uncommon for hundreds of Afghan women under the Taliban that have been rounded up and lashed for not following the strict dress code. One young girl's thumb was amputated for wearing nail polish. These inhumane conditions and treatment are driving the women under the Taliban to suicide. "Doctors are seeing a lot of esophageal burns. Women are swallowing battery acid, or poisonous househole cleaners, because they are easy to find. But it's a very painful way to die," states one observer. Suicide is nto uncommon in a place where women are transported in special buses with the windows covered in black thick blankets. Even the windows of residences are painted black.

The atrocities are unfathomable to you and me. To the rest of the world, women's status in Afghanistan seems intolerable and outrageous, but to the men ruling this government, it does not. The Minister of Foreign Affairs says, "Time should be spent serving the country and praying to God. Nothing else. Everything else is a waste of time, and people are not allowed to waste their time." And as to the freedom of these women, Adbul Hakeem Mujahid stated that his government is "protecting human rights" and also stated that they had, "restored women's safety, dignity and freedom." Safety? Dignity? Freedom?

The Taliban has imprisoned these women in their homes. The Minister of Education repordedly says women in their country are merely objects. He said, "It's like having a flower or a rose. You water it and keep it at home for yourself, to look at it and smell it. It is not supposed to be taken out of the house to be smelled." Another leader agreed more bluntly: "There are only two place for Afghan women, in her husband's house and in the graveyard."

Oppressive laws and rules plague the country, yet the behavior of officials somehow goes unnoticed and is tolerated. In the article, "Afghan Women Under the Taliban," Mujahid fails to mention that he sends his own daughter to an Engligh-language school in Pakistan despite the Taliban's ban on education for young girls and women. The hypocrisy is quite common, especially among government officials. Jane Goodwin, an award winning journalist and human rights activist sat face to face with Mulla Qalamad Din, the head of the Department of Virtue and Vice years ago. She observed him chain smoking and noticed ashtrays in his office. "Isn't that illegal?" she asked. "I can't help it, I'm addicted," he replied with a smile.

How you can aid the women in Afghanistan: To help the women in Afghanistan restore their faith in themselves, visit www.feminist.org

A "Heartless Veto"?

"Never has it been clear how detached President Bush is from the priorities of the American people," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Ried, D-Nev.

That was in response to President Bush's latest veto, only the fourth in his presidency. The bipartisan bill would have expanded children's health insurance for millions of low-income kids in America. The Senate had already said yes to the bill, raking in enough votes to override the veto, but the House put a halt to that.

The President didn't veto the State Children's Health Insurance Program; he denied the 35 million dollars in funding Congress had asked for. The program is a state-federal joint effort that provides subsidized health coverage for more than 6 million Americans, most of them children. The program helps families who can't afford their own private insurance, but who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid.

Congress had support from Republicans to pass legislation that would provide $35 billion in additional funding to the program. That money would span over five years and add some 4 million children into the program. The funding was to come from the federal cigarette tax, but passing the legislation would have meant increasing the tax on cigarettes from 61 cents to a $1 per pack.

Presdient Bush says $35 billion is too much and only wanted a $5 billion increase in funding. Bush argued the program would have been too costly and would steer people with private insurance to switch to governemnt coverage. A move he says would be "a move toward socialized medicine."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Ried called President Bush's decision a "heartless veto."

So what's at stake for the President after vetoing this bill? Critics say it pits him against not only Democrats who now control Congress, but Republicans too.