Women's Health Assignment

Waris Dirie - FGM victim and now a Somali model, actress, author, and human rights activist.

1. "An estimated 135 million girls and women have undergone genital mutilation, and two million girls a year are at risk- approximately 6,000 per day. Although it is predominantly practiced in twenty-eight North African countries, FGM is not inherent to any nation or religion ("Amnesty International USA"). The procedure of female genital mutilation is almost always done without antibiotics/anesthesia and it is common for the surgery to be done in a barbian-like form. For example, the medical instruments used consist of broken glass, tin can lids, blunt knives, scissors,  or razors ("Amnesty International USA"). There are different types of FGM procedures such as clitoridectomies, excisions, or infibulations. The  two major concerns of this procedure is the rising number of women who are suffering the "...physical, sexual, and mental" ("Amnesty International") consequences of the surgery and women who are being genitally mutilated against their will.

2. Key concepts that we've been discussing in class like that of patriarchy and "gender stratification ("Amnesty International USA")" are extremely influential to the core concepts of why FGM is practiced.  "In FGM-practicing societies it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for a woman to marry if she has not undergone mutilation"("Amnesty International USA"). In societies where FGM is practiced, women find themselves succumbing to the discrimination because they have such little opportunities - they can't go to school or get jobs, which makes them extremely reliable on the men ("Amnesty International USA"). Because of this gender stratification and patriarchal structure of a society, women are forced to be considered "useful" for only two reasons: to bear children, and give men sexual satisfaction with no reciprocation ("Amnesty International USA").

3. I envision my Utopian egalitarian society to celebrate the rites of passage to womanhood with something comparable to a Bar-Mitzvah, a celebration. Women don't need to be degraded in such a violent form, especially when infection and disease comes into play. I think the ultimate goal to obtaining equal rights in this case (as in many others), would start with awareness. I honestly think a lot of women either A.) Think that we have equal rights, or B.) They are too scared to face the reality of the horrors that are taking place. And that's where feminists come into play, if we raise awareness we can make baby steps to creating a "prowoman" environment on a macro-level.

4. It is important to be informed and aware of the cultural aspect of FGM. Since FGM is a deepy rooted custom, you cannot stop it. Instead, a healthier and more positive way of promoting rites of passage to womanhood would be more effective in the longrun and essentially what this would do is give women back their rights ("Amnesty International").


Works Cited
"Women's Human Rights - Female Genital Mutilation." AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL USA. Amnesty International USA, 2010. Web. 14 Oct 2010. <http://www.amnestyusa.org/violence-against-women/female-genital-mutilation--fgm/page.do?id=1108439>.