DOCSLIB.ORG

Prosecution of Female Genital Mutilation in the United States

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Prosecution of Female Genital Mutilation in the United States VOLUME 19, NUMBER 7, 2006 N ATIONAL C ENTER FOR P R OSECUTION OF C HILD A B USE UpdateUpdate American Prosecutors Prosecution of Female Genital Research Mutilation in the United States Institute By Rena Marie Justice1 “You can have scars and also socially it is really strong immigration increases, these numbers grow.11 According because all of your life you know you’ve been violated, to medical research based on the 2000 census, approxi- SAFETY NET: mutilated, abused.” mately 228,000 women and girls are with or at risk for MULTI-DISCIPLINARY — Salimata Knight, Senegalese FGM survivor FGM in the U.S.12 Female Genital Mutilation was put on the radar of INVESTIGATION AND ackground the American public with a U.S. Board of Immigration PROSECUTION OF The practice known as Female Genital Appeals case.13 In 1994, a 17-year-old girl from Togo COMPUTER-FACILITATED Mutilation (FGM), often referred to as fled to the U.S. via Germany, upon being forced into a CHILD SEXUAL “female circumcision” or “female genital cut- polygamous marriage and told she was to undergo Bting” (FGC), is forced on girls from infancy up to mar- mutilation.14 Finally, after 18 months, she was granted EXPLOITATION riage. FGM is known to exist in 28 African countries, asylum based on her “membership in a particular social FEBRUARY 5–9, 2007 as well as places in Asia and the Middle East, and group” under U.S. and international asylum law.15 DREXEL UNIVERSITY increasingly among immigrant groups in Europe, Then on September 30, 1996, Congress enacted the PHILADELPHIA,PA Canada, and the United States. Eighteen African coun- “Federal Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act” tries have prevalence rates of 50% or higher, including under 18 U.S.C.S. §116, which became effective in This intensive 5-day course is Ethiopia, Mali, and Sierra Leone.Worldwide, it is esti- April 1997.This statute prohibits “knowingly circumcis- intended for child sexual exploitation mated that 100-140 million women have been genitally ing, excising, or infibulating the whole or any part” of prosecutors, forensic computer ana- 2 lysts, and investigators. This course cut, and each year another 2 million girls are at risk. the female genitalia on persons under 18 years old, will give hands-on training in investi- There are several forms of FGM and all involve par- excludes “custom or ritual” as a defense,16 and provides gating and presenting electronic evi- tial or total removal of the external female genitalia for an exception for health care.17 To date, there are no dence of computer-facilitated crimes non-therapeutic reasons.2 One of the milder forms has published prosecutions under § 116. against children. been compared to amputation of the penis in males.4 “Clitoridectomy” involves removal of the clitoral hood State Legislation and Local Prosecution CHILDPROOF: and part of or the entire clitoris.“Excision” involves Currently, 18 states have specific statutes relating to the removal of the clitoris and part or all of the labia mino- practice of FGM.18 Most contain minor variations to the ADVANCED TRIAL ra.“Infibulation” involves removal of most or all of the federal statute. For example, the federal statute restricts ADVOCACY FOR CHILD external genitalia, including the clitoris, labia minora, criminal liability to those who perform FGM on girls, ABUSE PROSECUTORS and labia majora, while the sides of the vagina are while some states widen liability to cover those who stitched together so that only a small opening for both “permit”19 or “allow”20 such a procedure to take place. MARCH 18–23, 2007 urine and menstruation remains. Infibulation involves a These statutes would, therefore, impose liability on both National Advocacy Center, healing period of several weeks during which the girl’s guardians and practitioners.A few states have legislated Columbia, South Carolina legs are bound together so the wound is immobilized.5 educational outreach programs, geared toward immi- For details, visit our Web site at FGM can leave girls with a host of complications grants and medical personnel, on physical and mental www.ndaa.org, or contact the National such as severe infections; HIV contraction; inconti- health effects of FGM as well as criminal sanctions.21 Advocacy Center at 803.705.5055. nence; shock; painful sexual intercourse, urination, and In 1994, Minnesota became the first state to amend menstruation; and great difficulty in childbirth. its criminal code.22 The Minnesota statute prohibits Depression and other devastating psychological effects FGM on both women and girls, as does Illinois, Rhode are common.6 Despite these effects, the cultural beliefs Island, and Tennessee.23 The most recent legislation surrounding the practice are strong and include curbing comes from Georgia24 and encompasses the various promiscuity, ensuring marriageability, and initiation of components seen in the states thus far, such as holding girls into womanhood.7 Today, the practice is con- both practitioners and consenting guardians responsi- demned by individual countries, human rights groups, ble25 and prohibiting removal of a girl from the state for and international law as a violation of the human rights the purpose of FGM.26 Prosecutors in states that do not of children.8 have FGM-specific statutes can bring charges using other child abuse, battery, and assault laws. FGM can be UPDATE is published by the American FGM in the United States prosecuted, for instance, where abuse or substantial bod- Prosecutors Research Institute’s FGM occurs in American jurisdictions where members ily injury is defined as “permanent disfigurement”27 or National Center for Prosecution of of immigrant communities reside who traditionally per- “…protracted impairment of physical or emotional Child Abuse. APRI is the research and form the practice. For example, a city with a large health, or protracted loss or impairment of the function development division of the National Somali community will want to note that in Somalia, of any bodily organ….”28 District Attorneys Association. Items there is a 90-98% FGM rate among girls of nearly all Social workers and victim advocates can also assist a may be reprinted if attributed to ethnic groups, with most being infibulated.9 A child can child in a case involving FGM. For example, many APRI’s National Center for Prosecution be cut either in the U.S. or by sending her abroad for African countries now have educational programs, alter- of Child Abuse. Please provide copies the procedure.The last assessment from the Centers for native ceremonies, and laws in use as tools of preven- to NCPCA. Contact us if you have Disease Control and Prevention estimated in 1990 that tion.29 If a girl is sent to her country of origin to be inquiries or article suggestions at 168,000 females in the U.S. were with or at risk for cut, a Victims’Services department can contact an anti- 703.549.4253. FGM, with 48,000 being girls under 18 years old.10 As FGM organization in that country for assistance.This is one way to help prevent a child from being subjected to mutilation else- laborative prospective study in six African countries, 367 THE LANCET 1835 (2006). 7 where when parents are faced with prosecution in the U.S. Parents often subject their daughters to FGM out of a desire to protect them form otherwise severe social ostracism. If the family has permanent residency in the U.S., however, this ostracism is arguably lessened. See U.S. Informational Defenses Sheet, supra note 2. Possible defenses to FGM include custom, consent, medical necessity, and 8 FGM is denounced by the World Health Organization and other United Nations constitutional arguments such as parental rights and freedom of religion. agencies, as well as the Organization of African Unity. See Razor’s Edge, supra note Many statutes expressly exempt, as defenses, both consent of the parents or 3 for a look at other countries’ and the international responses to FGM. 9 Office of the Senior Coordinator for International Women’s Issues, Office of the guardian and any claim to FGM as a custom, ritual, or standard of practice.30 Under Secretary for Global Affairs, U.S. Department of State, Prevalence of the In situations where a parent is unaware of the health risks and criminality of Practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM); Laws Prohibiting FGM and Their FGM, however, custom may be considered as a mitigating factor in sentenc- Enforcement; Recommendations on How to Best Work to Eliminate FGM (2001) avail- ing for a first offense. Coupled with mandatory education, this route will able at http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/ maintain the family structure upon prosecution.31 Likewise, a medical neces- 9424.pdf#search=%22Female%20Genital%20Mutilation%3A%20Report%20of% sity exception is common, which limits procedures to health related reasons 20a%20WHO%20Technical%20Working%20Group%22. 10 U.S. Informational Sheet, supra note 2. such as birthing complications, as seen in the federal statute. However, the 11 African immigration has increased dramatically since 1990. See U.S. Census American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the World Health Organization Bureau, Ancestry 2000 (June 2004) available at http://www.census.gov/prod/ formally oppose the practice.32 2004pubs/c2kbr-35.pdf. 12 Constitutional challenges can be rebutted using a strong history of case Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s African Women’s Health Center, Number law and delineating public health and child protection goals. For example, of women, girls with or at risk for female genital cutting on the rise in the United States (2006) available at http://www.brighamandwomens.org/ parental rights have been held by the Supreme Court to be limited when the africanwomenscenter/research.aspx.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • FEMALE GENITAL CUTTING the Global North and South
    Copyright © The authors, 2020 Cover by Nille Leander and Sara Johnsdotter ISBN 978-91-7877-123-3 (print) ISBN 978-91-7877-124-0 (pdf) DOI 10.24834/isbn.9789178771240 Published by the Centre for Sexology and Sexuality Studies, Malmö University Printed at Holmbergs, Malmö 2020 FEMALE GENITAL CUTTING The Global North and South Edited by Sara Johnsdotter The publication can be accessed at mau.diva-portal.org (PDF) Contents Sara Johnsdotter & R. Elise B. Johansen Introduction 7 Ellen Gruenbaum Tensions and Movements: Female Genital Cutting in the Global North and South, Then and Now 23 Lisen Dellenborg The Significance of Engagement — Challenges for Ethnographers and Healthcare Givers in Understanding Human Vulnerability 59 Emmaleena Käkelä Rethinking Female Genital Cutting: From Culturalist to Structuralist Framework for Challenging Violence Against Women 79 Maria Väkiparta Young Men Against FGM/C in Somaliland: Discursively Negotiating Violence, Gender Norms, and Gender Order 103 Inger-Lise Lien Is the Ritual of Female Genital Mutilation an Event that Will Generate a Traumatic Stress Reaction for Cut Children? Cases from The Gambia, Eritrea and Somalia 131 Lisen Dellenborg & Maria Frederika Malmström Listening to the Real Agents of Change: Female Circumcision/Cutting, Female Genital Mutilation and Human Rights 159 R. Elise B. Johansen, in collaboration with Amira Jama Mohammed Ibrahim, Naeema Saeed Sheekh Mohammed, Khadra Yasien Ahmed, Abdirizak Mohamud, Ibrahim Sheick Mohammed Ahmed, & Omar Nur Gaal Methodological Reflections on the Engagement
    [Show full text]
  • Honorable Daughters
    HONORABLE DAUGHTERS: THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF CIRCUMCISED SUDANESE WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES A dissertation presented to the faculty of the College of Education of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy Asma Mohamed Abdel Halim June 2003 2003 Asma Mohamed Abdel Halim All Rights Reserved This dissertation entitled HONORABLE DAUGHTERS: THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF CIRCUMCISED SUDANESE WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES By Asma Mohamed Abdel Halim has been approved for the Department of Educational Studies And the College of Education by William Stephen Howard Associate Professor of Educational Studies James Heap Dean, the College of Education ABDEL HALIM, ASMA, MOHAMED Ph.D. June 2003. Educational Studies HONORABLE DAUGHTERS: THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF CIRCUMCISED SUDANESE WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES (272 pp.) Director of Dissertation: William Stephen Howard ABSTRACT This is a qualitative study of the experiences of circumcised Sudanese women in the United States. It is done to find out whether the immigration experience has affected the cultural perceptions of women, in particular their views about female circumcision (FC). Questions are focused on what exactly has changed in their lives that resulted in a change of attitude or behavior. Three focus groups of women of different age groups participated in the research. One woman of each group was interviewed in depth. Open ended questions and semi structured interviews were conducted. Participants were allowed to ask questions and answer questions during the meetings. Debates around gender relations and family relations inside the homes were quite useful to the analysis of information gathered during lengthy interviews with individual women.
    [Show full text]
  • Female Genital Excision and the Implications of Federal Prohibition
    William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice Volume 2 (1995) Issue 1 William & Mary Journal of Women and Article 7 the Law October 1995 Female Genital Excision and the Implications of Federal Prohibition Blake M. Guy Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.law.wm.edu/wmjowl Part of the Human Rights Law Commons, and the Indian and Aboriginal Law Commons Repository Citation Blake M. Guy, Female Genital Excision and the Implications of Federal Prohibition, 2 Wm. & Mary J. Women & L. 125 (1995), https://scholarship.law.wm.edu/wmjowl/vol2/iss1/7 Copyright c 1995 by the authors. This article is brought to you by the William & Mary Law School Scholarship Repository. https://scholarship.law.wm.edu/wmjowl FEMALE GENITAL EXCISION AND THE IMPLICATIONS OF FEDERAL PROHIBITION BLAKE M. Guy* To be a woman is to be healthy.1 "No one racial, religious or ethnic group has known discrimi- nation as consistently as women have throughout recorded his- tory."2 Due to the ongoing efforts of several international organizations, however, recent observers note an unprecedented increase in the international attention focused on women's human rights and the advancement of the status of women. 3 In February of 1994, the United States Department of State issued its annual human rights report.4 Documenting the abuse and discrimination present in nearly 200 countries, the report was perhaps most noteworthy for its expanded examination of the physical abuse of women throughout the world." The report "took a broad view of women and human rights, looking not just at abuses by governments, but at the indignities and discrimi- nation" with which governments often have little involvement.6 The physical health and psychological well-being of women around the globe are placed in constant jeopardy by the contin- * J.D.
    [Show full text]
  • The Criminalization of Female Genital Mutilation in the United States, 4 J
    Journal of Law and Policy Volume 4 | Issue 1 Article 11 1995 The rC iminalization of Female Genital Mutilation in the United States Karen Hughes Follow this and additional works at: https://brooklynworks.brooklaw.edu/jlp Recommended Citation Karen Hughes, The Criminalization of Female Genital Mutilation in the United States, 4 J. L. & Pol'y (1995). Available at: https://brooklynworks.brooklaw.edu/jlp/vol4/iss1/11 This Note is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Journals at BrooklynWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Law and Policy by an authorized editor of BrooklynWorks. THE CRIMINALIZATION OF FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION IN THE UNITED STATES Karen Hughes* INTRODUCTION Female genital mutilation ("FGM")' is a cultural and ritual tradition most often practiced in African and Middle Eastern countries.2 Female genital mutilation refers to several types of genital operations performed on young girls-from newborn babies to adolescents-where part or all of the external female genitalia are removed.3 " Brooklyn Law School Class of 1996. The author wishes to thank Brooklyn Law School Professor Elizabeth M. Schneider for her valuable assistance in the preparation of this Note. ' The term "female genital mutilation" ("FGM") adequately describes the practice discussed in this Note. "Female circumcision" is a misnomer which suggests that the procedure is closely related in nature and effect to male circumcision. Male circumcision involves the removal of a portion of penile foreskin, whereas female genital mutilation involves the removal of healthy and highly sensitive genital organs. Eugenie Anne Gifford, "The Courage to Blaspheme ": Confronting Barriers to Resisting Female Genital Mutilation, 4 UCLA WOMEN'S L.J.
    [Show full text]
  • Female Genital Mutilation in Africa: an Analysis of Current Abandonment Approaches
    Female genital mutilation in Africa An analysis of current abandonment approaches December 2005 A.C.S. Plaza, 4th Floor, Lenana Road P.O. Box 76634, Nairobi, 00508 Tel: 254.20.3877177 Fax: 254.20.3877172 email: [email protected] www.path.org Suggested citation: Muteshi J, Sass J. Female Genital Mutilation in Africa: An Analysis of Current Abandonment Approaches. Nairobi: PATH; 2005. Copyright © 2006, Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH). All rights reserved. The material in this document may be freely used for education or noncommercial purposes, provided the material is accompanied by an acknowledgement line. Table of contents Acronyms ............................................................................................................................ 3 Executive summary ............................................................................................................ 4 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 6 2 FGM prevalence.......................................................................................................... 7 FGM prevalence by residence ..................................................................................... 8 FGM prevalence by ethnicity ...................................................................................... 9 FGM prevalence by education..................................................................................... 9 FGM prevalence by religion.......................................................................................10
    [Show full text]
  • Finnish Journal of Ethnicity and Migration
    Finnish Journal of Ethnicity and Migration Vol. 3, No. 2 / 2008 www.etmu.fi Publisher Special Issue: Female Genital Cutting in the Past and Today • The Society for the Study of Ethnic Relations and International Migration (ETMU) Contents • This journal is available online at http://www.etmu.fi/fjem/ 2 Marja Tiilikainen and Janneke Johansson: Introduction • ISSN 1796-6582 Articles Editorial Staff 4 Janice Boddy: Clash of Selves: Gender, Personhood, and Human Rights Discourse in Colonial Sudan • Editor-in-chief: Matti Similä (CEREN) 14 William G. Clarence-Smith: Islam and Female Genital Cutting in • Guest editor-in-chief: Marja Tiilikainen Southeast Asia: The Weight of the Past (University of Helsinki) 23 Basilica Dyah Putranti: To Islamize, Becoming a Real Woman or • Assistant editor: Maarit Forde Commercialized Practices? Questioning Female Genital Cutting in (Newcastle University) Indonesia • Guest assistant editors: Susan Villa and 32 Claudia Merli: Sunat for Girls in Southern Thailand: Its Relation to Janneke Johansson (Finnish League for Traditional Midwifery, Male Circumcision and Other Obstetrical Practices Human Rights) 42 Brigitte Bagnol and Esmeralda Mariano: Elongation of the labia • Book review editor: Heli Hyvönen (Uni- minora and Use of Vaginal Products to Enhance Eroticism: Can versity of Helsinki) These Practices be Considered FGM? • Desktop publishing: Mika Takoja (Popu- 54 Courtney Smith: Creating Spaces: Challenging Conventional Discursive Norms Surrounding the Marking of Women’s Bodies lation Research Institute/Väestöliitto) 64 Aud Talle: Precarious Identities: Somali Women in Exile Editorial Board 74 Sara Johnsdotter: Popular Notions of FGC in Sweden: The Case of Ali • Elli Heikkilä (Institute of Migration), Elmi Mikko Lagerspetz (Åbo Akademi), Yngve Lithman (University of Bergen), Tuomas Project Reports Martikainen (Åbo Akademi), Sari Pie- 83 R.
    [Show full text]
  • FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION/CUTTING Innocenti Digest
    UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre Innocenti Digest CHANGING A HARMFUL SOCIAL CONVENTION: FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION/CUTTING Innocenti Digest CHANGING A HARMFUL SOCIAL CONVENTION: FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION/CUTTING The opinions expressed are those of the authors and editors and do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of UNICEF. Editor: Alexia Lewnes Front cover picture: UNICEF/MENA/2004/1301/Ellen Gruenbaum Layout: Bernard & Co, Siena, Italy Printed by ABC Tipografia, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy © 2005 United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) ISBN: 88-89129-24-7 ISSN: 1028-3528 Reprinted in May 2008 ii Innocenti Digest Acknowledgments UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre in Florence, Italy, was established in 1988 to strengthen the research capa- bility of the United Nations Children Fund and to support its advocacy for children worldwide. The Centre (for- mally known as the International Child Development Centre) helps to identify and research current and future areas of UNICEF’s work. Its prime objectives are to improve international understanding of issues relating to children’s rights and to help facilitate the full implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in both industrialized and developing countries. The Innocenti Digests are produced by the Centre to provide reliable and accessible information on specific rights issues. This issue of the Innocenti Digest has been principally researched and written by Michael Miller and Francesca Moneti with additional research contributions by Camilla Landini. It was prepared under the guidance of the Cen- tre’s Director, Marta Santos Pais. Administrative support was provided by Claire Akehurst. The Communication and Partnership Unit are thanked for moving this document through the production process.
    [Show full text]
  • Tashi's Struggles to Get Identity in Alice Walker's Possessing the Secret Of
    The 6th ELTLT CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS October 2017 FEMALE CUTTING: TASHI‘S STRUGGLES TO GET IDENTITY IN ALICE WALKER‘S POSSESSING THE SECRET OF JOY L. Dyah Purwita Wardani S.W.W. FIB Universitas Jember [email protected] Abstract This article discusses female genital cutting/female cutting (FGC/FC) which is performed by a group of people by cutting off the genitals girl under the age of twelve years as a womanhood initiation in Alice Walker‘s Possessing the Secret of Joy. By using representation theory by Stuart Hall, the analysis performed by the constructionist approach which is based on Foucauld‘s discourse analysis. Possessing the Secret of Joy novel is a primary source of data regarding female genital cutting combined with American conditions in the late 1990s. Representation of female cutting presented in the novel is then used to read the ideological position of the author as a member of American community. The results of this study shows female cutting is seen as a huge loss for women so America makes a strict law in order to ban this practice. However, on the other side this law encourages the female cutting to be done secretly so this novel fails to hegemonic the female cutting doer. Keywords: representation, female genital cutting, discourse, USA Introduction remove all clitoris, 2) excision of the clitoris Female cutting phenomenon in Alice with partial or total excision of the labia Walker‘s novel inspires the government to minora, 3) excision of part or all of the forbid the female cutting practice in America. external genitalia and stitching/narrowing of The policy taken by the government since the vaginal opening (infibulation), 4) female cutting (FC) practice are taken as unclassified: includes pricking, piercing, or something primitive that against universal incising of the clitoris and/or labia; law; humanism.
    [Show full text]
  • Rethinking Polemics and Intransigence in the Campaign Against Female Circumcision
    Case Western Reserve Law Review Volume 47 Issue 2 Article 4 1997 Bridges and Barricades: Rethinking Polemics and Intransigence in the Campaign against Female Circumcision L. Amede Obiora Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/caselrev Part of the Law Commons Recommended Citation L. Amede Obiora, Bridges and Barricades: Rethinking Polemics and Intransigence in the Campaign against Female Circumcision, 47 Case W. Rsrv. L. Rev. 275 (1997) Available at: https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/caselrev/vol47/iss2/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Journals at Case Western Reserve University School of Law Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Case Western Reserve Law Review by an authorized administrator of Case Western Reserve University School of Law Scholarly Commons. BRIDGES AND BARRICADES: RETHINKING POLEMICS AND INTRANSIGENCE IN THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST FEMALE CIRCUMCISION L. Amede Obiorat I. INTRODUCTION Walls turned sideways are bridges. Angela Davis A. On Cultural Self-Determination: Whose Culture? Which Self?. The United Nations World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995, was hailed as a milestone in the quest for gender equality. The proceedings at the forum focused on an agenda that included issues pertaining to the sexual and reproductive rights of women, with emphasis on freedom from coercion, discrimination, and violence.' Denouncing culture as a principal source of gender- based violence and exploitation, the majority of participants insisted that states have a duty, regardless of their particular cultural sys- t The author is an Igbo woman conducting research and teaching in the United States.
    [Show full text]
  • A Cultural Rite of Passage Or a Form of Torture: Female Genital Mutilation from an International Law Perspective Alexi Nicole Wood
    Hastings Women’s Law Journal Volume 12 | Number 2 Article 6 1-1-2001 A Cultural Rite of Passage or a Form of Torture: Female Genital Mutilation from an International Law Perspective Alexi Nicole Wood Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.uchastings.edu/hwlj Part of the Law and Gender Commons Recommended Citation Alexi Nicole Wood, A Cultural Rite of Passage or a Form of Torture: Female Genital Mutilation from an International Law Perspective, 12 Hastings Women's L.J. 347 (2001). Available at: https://repository.uchastings.edu/hwlj/vol12/iss2/6 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Journals at UC Hastings Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Hastings Women’s Law Journal by an authorized editor of UC Hastings Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A Cultural Rite of Passage or a Form of Torture: Female Genital Mutilation from an International Law Perspective Alexi Nicole Wood* I. INTRODUCTION "If every man in this courtroom had had his penis removed, what then? Would they understand better that that condition is similar to that of all the women in this room?"' At the age of ten, Hannah Koroma was genitally mutilated with a blunt penknife in Sierra Leone. Her grandmother told her that she would be * Alexi Nicole Wood received her J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in May, 2000 and iscurrently an associate with the D. David Altman Co., a plaintiffs' environmental law firm in Cincinnati. The author wishes to thank law librarian Rick Goheen for his invaluable research and editorial assistance; Professor Jeremy Sarkin for his advice and encouragement; her family for their support; and Michelle Mack, Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Representations of Female Mutilation (Fgm)
    TALKING TABOO: REPRESENTATIONS OF FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION (FGM) IN FEMINIST DEBATES, HUMAN RIGHTS DISCOURSE & THE MEDIA By Maroushka F. Kanywani Graduate Program in Communications McGill University Montreal April 2002 A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment ofthe requirements ofthe degree ofMaster ofArts. © Maroushka F. Kanywani, 2002 National Library Bibliothèque nationale 1+1 of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisisitons et Bibliographie Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A DN4 Ottawa ON K1A DN4 Canada Canada Your file Votre référence ISBN: 0-612-85861-8 Our file Notre référence ISBN: 0-612-85861-8 The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts from it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou aturement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. Canada Abstract Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) has been a tough topic to discuss in both the local and global spheres. In the past twenty years however, a space has been created for it in the public consciousness.
    [Show full text]
  • Repair Versus Rejuvenation: the Condition of Vaginas As a Proxy for the Societal Status of Women
    Seattle Journal for Social Justice Volume 9 Issue 2 Spring/Summer 2011 Article 12 May 2011 Repair Versus Rejuvenation: The Condition of Vaginas as a Proxy for the Societal Status of Women Patricia A. Broussard Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu/sjsj Recommended Citation Broussard, Patricia A. (2011) "Repair Versus Rejuvenation: The Condition of Vaginas as a Proxy for the Societal Status of Women," Seattle Journal for Social Justice: Vol. 9 : Iss. 2 , Article 12. Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu/sjsj/vol9/iss2/12 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Publications and Programs at Seattle University School of Law Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Seattle Journal for Social Justice by an authorized editor of Seattle University School of Law Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 935 Repair Versus Rejuvenation: The Condition of Vaginas as a Proxy for the Societal Status of Women Patricia A. Broussard* I have just returned from hell. I am trying for the life of me to figure out how to communicate what I have seen and heard in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. How do I convey these stories of atrocities without your shutting down, quickly turning the page or feeling too disturbed? Eve Ensler1 I. INTRODUCTION The harsh reality of life is that, in some parts of the world, there are “wars against women”2 that provide the hellish environments of which Eve Ensler speaks. More precisely, these wars are actually wars within wars, or as 60 Minutes refers to them, “hidden wars.”3 Recent conflicts in Darfur (Sudan), Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo have been deemed civil wars, and the world appears to view them as just that.
    [Show full text]