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Female Circumcision
Why are female circumcisions an example of a rite of passage?
A rite of passage delineates the entry of an individual from one phase of life into another phase of life, in this case childhood to womanhood. Rites of passage often take the individual and place them in transitional places during the process of social transformation. The girl is taken away from her home and family environment, puts on special clothing, enters a special space, and emerges 'transformed.' The rite of passage takes place in a kind of in-between space, where the girl is neither a woman yet, nor a girl. A parallel example from our own culture might be the engagement period, before a couple gets married, or a Bar Mitzvah, where they central individuals put on unique clothes (a wedding dress and ring or a new suit), engage in special rituals before the ceremony (bachelor parties, bridal showers, Hebrew School), and then perform certain rituals and roles after which they take on new identities in the community (husband and wife, a Jewish man).
What is the role of the family in the continuing process of female circumcisions?
One of the difficulties in trying to stop the practice of female circumcisions is the central role of the family, particularly women, in perpetuating the practice. Because the girls' mothers have had the procedure performed upon themselves, they assume it is normal, and feel that their girls should have to endure what they endured. Also, even if a family might not want their daughters to suffer a circumcision, the family may go along with it, for fear of damaging her marriage prospects or the reputation of the family. They use the excuse that for the girl to function in her society, 'normally' they must obey this societal convention, regardless of its morality. This is compounded by a fear of unchecked, young female sexuality in general.
Female Genital Mutilation in Ethiopia: A Human Rights Issue Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a common phenomenon in Ethiopia, which has the highest rate of FGM among African countries, despite international and national efforts to eliminate the phenomenon. Why FGM persists despite these efforts to end the practice is an issue that puzzles scholars and activists, particularly because efforts to end FGM have seen some success outside of Ethiopia. Does the
Because of the private nature of the tradition and because the methods can range so greatly, it is difficult to adequately assess the details of female genital cutting in Africa. The history of the tradition goes back thousands of years and is often (incorrectly) associated with religious dictates (von der Osten-Sacken & Uwer, 2007). It has long been associated with Islam, though there has been active opposition from many Islamic
Female Genital Mutilation -- a Review and Analysis How prevalent is the practice of female genital mutilation throughout the world? Why is it done, where is it done, and what are the human rights and morality implications? This paper will examine those questions, and provide information that supplements those issues. The Literature on Female Genital Mutilation There are four types of female genital mutilation (FGM), according to an article in the British Journal
Female Genital Mutilation, also known as female circumcision is a practice largely in some African countries and is a process where young girls (and sometimes women) have their clitoris removed through unsafe surgical procedures. The procedure is usually done by someone with no medical training and no type of anesthesia is used. As a result, many of the young girls go into shock from the severe which often leads to
Still, if one is to employ the ICN Code of Ethics, nurses may collaborate with others to apply "ethical standards in nursing practice, education, management and research." Within this mandate ethical standards would preclude mutilation of any part of the body for any reason, especially under unsanitary conditions by untrained practitioners. (ICN, pp 1-4). The American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics, Provision 2, states that the nurse's primary commitment
Instead, it continues to proliferate as a ritual among women and as one study shows, its prevalence resulted to 100 million women being circumcised among societies in Africa and Asia. With its prevalence, gender discrimination occurs as a result, where women are coerced to participate in the said ritual and try to bear the pain of the procedure. Because of the health and social repercussions that result from FGM, concern