Abuse in the name of Culture

[Tridimity]

So I was watching this documentary earlier, presented by Leyla Hussein, on the topic of female genital mutilation (FGM):

 

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-cruel-cut/4od

 

Note: the documentary is emotionally distressing and contains very strong language, graphic images and descriptions of FGM so please bear this in mind if you do not wish to watch such scenes. My apologies to those outside the UK who probably will not be able to access the documentary - I am unable to find an alternative version.

 

Female genital mutilation is most prevalent in African and Asian countries but worryingly there is evidence that the practice still exists and goes unnoticed among communities in the UK - perhaps because the community members whose duty it would be to recognise signs of abuse (e.g. teachers, social care workers, police officers) are not sufficiently aware of the procedure. FGM involves the cutting of the external female genitalia (removal of the clitoris and/or inner/outer labia and/or fusion of the wound to produce an artificially restricted vaginal opening). Typically the procedure is carried out on very young girls (weeks after birth to puberty), against their will, by a circumciser using a crude knife or razor. The procedure results in various types of physical, psychological and emotional trauma - recurrent infections, chronic pain, infertility, epidermoid cysts, painful intercourse, complications during childbirth and fatal bleeding; anxiety, depression, PTSD. The apparent rationale, on the part of the parents of the child being circumcised, is to reduce the sex drive of the female and so reduce the likelihood that she will engage in premarital sexual intercourse and so bring 'shame' (to clarify, I do not regard premarital sexual intercourse as reasonable grounds for any loss of honour on the part of the individual or their family members - I am merely stating the position of these particular parents) on the family. The questioned parents will answer in terms of the girl being 'clean' or 'unclean' and so, to a certain extent, one can understand (without excusing) why a parent may wish for their daughter to be circumcised - if they are not, and the fact is known, then it may harm their daughter's chances of securing a suitable husband. However, I maintain that any act which has a high probability of resulting in the physical, psychological and/or emotional trauma of the child - and which is performed without their informed consent - is child abuse. FGM is child abuse.

 

Leyla introduces a good point, which is that - perhaps as a result of trying to be tolerant and inclusive of religions and subcultures within our multicultural and diverse societies - we collectively have misplaced our good intentions and so continue to allow the practice of child abuse that is genital mutilation to occur. While we may not actively encourage such practices, by failing to implement the pre-existing legislation with respect to this abhorrant practice, and by virtue of the fact that the practice is able to continue undetected (since the child is too young to understand properly what is happening, let alone who to speak to about it), we are collectively failing these children.

 

FGM is not the only practice which is allowed to continue by dressing up as a 'cultural norm' - child abuse ought never to be a cultural norm - but it is one of the more blatantly insidious practices.

 

Please take a minute to sign Leyla's Home Office petition, it does not take long to sign, and if 100,000 signatures are collected then the issue may be debated in the House of Commons:

 

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/52740against

Edited November 9, 2013 by Tridimity

[DevilSolution]

I signed, its already illegal though. You've got to remember minority cultures do tend to stick to themsleves which means intervention becomes very difficult regardless of public awareness. Its a general shift in the awareness of the culture as whole that will make a difference and some very stictly religious people may shrug it off either way. Pretty difficult field to address.

Edited November 9, 2013 by DevilSolution

[Amanbir Singh Grewal]

you want to extend common law to subjects beyond great britain? but you are happy destroying the truth. nope. i'm sorry cannot sign it. credibility the word.

[Tridimity]

I signed, its already illegal though. You've got to remember minority cultures do tend to stick to themsleves which means intervention becomes very difficult regardless of public awareness. Its a general shift in the awareness of the culture as whole that will make a difference and some very stictly religious people may shrug it off either way. Pretty difficult field to address.

 

 

Thank you

you want to extend common law to subjects beyond great britain? but you are happy destroying the truth. nope. i'm sorry cannot sign it. credibility the word.

 

 

Amanbir, I am interested to hear your opinion. The point is, that there are British citizens who have connections with countries and cultures in which these procedures occur, who are enlisting the services of foreign circumcisers to come to the UK in order to perform the procedure on their daughters. This act is illegal in the UK.

 

I would also challenge your implicit premise that, just because a practice is occurring in a foreign country, that it is outside the remit of other countries to intervene when suffering is being inflicted on others. We would not condone or accept the torture or murder of others in foreign countries, so why should we allow other abuses such as FGM, to occur in other countries? National boundaries might be important for the technicalities of law but there are no barriers to our universal humanity and the morals that pervade the globe. FGM is child abuse when performed in the UK; choosing to have the procedure performed in a foreign country does not make it acceptable. FGM is child abuse universally.

 

'Happy destroying the truth'

 

I would be interested to know what you mean by this.

 

I have and am dedicating my life to the discovery of truth (as far as is possible to achieve).

 

'Credibility the word'

 

You seriously ought to consider learning how to construct sentences.

Edited November 9, 2013 by Tridimity

[StringJunky]

Signed.

[Tridimity]

Thanks StringJunky

I should probably temper my position on this issue, since I am an advocate of the freedom of choice of individuals, to assert that the procedure would no longer be reprehensible under the following conditions:

 

• The female to be circumcised has reached the age of 18 or above AND is demonstrably aware of the advantages and disadvantages of circumcision - which may be determined by an in-depth discussion with her doctor, nurse and/or psychologist AND she still wishes, of her own accord, to undergo the procedure
• The procedure is carried out upon consent of the adult female (see above) in a professional medical facility that has access to suitably qualified anaesthetists, nurses, doctors, surgeons and psychologists for immediate assistance and on-going support as appropriate.

These modifications to the procedure would allow the continuation of cultural norms without harming the female.

[StringJunky]

Tridimity, on 09 Nov 2013 - 6:19 PM, said:Tridimity, on 09 Nov 2013 - 6:19 PM, said:

Thanks StringJunky

I should probably temper my position on this issue, since I am an advocate of the freedom of choice of individuals, to assert that the procedure would no longer be reprehensible under the following conditions:

 

• The female to be circumcised has reached the age of 18 or above AND is demonstrably aware of the advantages and disadvantages of circumcision - which may be determined by an in-depth discussion with her doctor, nurse and/or psychologist AND she still wishes, of her own accord, to undergo the procedure
• The procedure is carried out upon consent of the adult female (see above) in a professional medical facility that has access to suitably qualified anaesthetists, nurses, doctors, surgeons and psychologists for immediate assistance and on-going support as appropriate.

These modifications to the procedure would allow the continuation of cultural norms without harming the female.

That's reasonable in principle but in practice It might violate UK medical ethics for it to be performed here or at least give it a very hard time ... "Doctor. I'm not clean. can you cut my clitoris and labia off for me.". I've read in the past about this subject with African mothers who have had their daughters forcibly done - sometimes with tin lids - and they've died. My own personal thoughts on this are automatically visceral and "What the f***k!" figures strongly in those thoughts. It's the ultimate masculine symbol of domination over women.

Edited November 9, 2013 by StringJunky

[John Cuthber]

I'm concerned about "freedom of choice" among people who have been told " You will go to hell if you don't".

 

Incidentally, in the long term these girls will grow up and - notwithstanding the abuse, they will get pregnant.

If they stay in the UK (or the West in general) they will almost certainly end up in hospital having their children.

And, at that point, it will be clear to the midwife/ doctor that they were mutilated as children.

In my opinion, it's reasonable to prosecute the parents, even at that late stage.

[Tridimity]

That's reasonable in principle but in practice It might violate UK medical ethics for it to be performed here or at least give it a very hard time ... "Doctor. I'm not clean. can you cut my clitoris and labia off for me.". I've read in the past about this subject with African mothers who have had their daughters forcibly done - sometimes with tin lids - and they've died. My own personal thoughts on this are automatically visceral and "What the f***k!" figures strongly in those thoughts. It's the ultimate masculine symbol of domination over women.

 

 

I know that the procedure in adult females currently would not be possible in the UK - my main point is that, if the two conditions above were met, the procedure would no longer be unethical - anymore than, say, sex change operations.

 

It IS the ultimate masculine symbol of domination over women - it is a more extreme version of the sexual oppression of women in many societies including the US and UK, which states that any female who engages in sexual intercourse outside of marriage and who enjoys sexual intercourse is an inherently immoral person. Adultery certainly is immoral, because it inflicts suffering upon the partner who is cheated upon, but premarital sexual relations are the business of nobody but the individual female involved. It is effectively taking unrightful ownership of the female's body; yet a more subtle version of this is the effective banning of the use of anatomical labels, such that a woman is led to a sense of societal-induced shame for even mentioning natural parts of her anatomy. I guarantee that if a female was left to develop in isolation, she would not feel any shame with regards her anatomy or sexuality, precisely because there is nothing to be ashamed of. It is the effect of a male-dominated society that seeks to chastise women.

 

This whole issue reminds me also of a documentary that I watched, presented by Richard Dawkins, on 'Sex, Death and the Meaning of Life' Episode 1, in which it is mentioned that some young Muslim women choose to attend surgeries to have their virginities artificially returned to them, in a manner, before they marry their life partner:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJLovKISEfg

 

The fundamental issue is power distribution - this time it just so happens that it is inequity between the sexes.

I'm concerned about "freedom of choice" among people who have been told " You will go to hell if you don't".

Incidentally, in the long term these girls will grow up and - notwithstanding the abuse, they will get pregnant.

If they stay in the UK (or the West in general) they will almost certainly end up in hospital having their children.

And, at that point, it will be clear to the midwife/ doctor that they were mutilated as children.

In my opinion, it's reasonable to prosecute the parents, even at that late stage.

 

 

Yes, I absolutely agree with all of this. There needs to be a way of ensuring that the female has reached her decision independently, and especially independently of any religion that has been forced upon her during childhood. I'm not sure how one would go about achieving this but I think that an education system in which children are taught multiple (all?) ways of viewing the world, from every perspective, might help. And then leave the person to choose their own religious affiliations, if any, once they reach adulthood.

 

And I would agree on your proposed method of redress. The problem in the UK at the moment, as StringJunky has pointed out, is not the absence of appropriate legislation - it is the enforcement of that legislation. The problem is not usually detected at the point of offence - it is only much later. Perhaps there is a role here for raising the awareness of children, and especially of those at high risk of the procedure, as to what it involves and what to do if you think that you or someone you know is going to be directly affected by the issue. In fact, this stems back to a thread I was engaged in recently with too_open_minded with regards raising awareness in children of the nature of child abuse and what to do about it.

Edited November 9, 2013 by Tridimity

[GiantEvil]

It appears that I need to be a UK citizen to sign the petition. Is there an appropriate e-mail address where I might send some letter of support? This is a basic human rights issue and not limited by geography. FGM amounts to no less than torture, and is absolutely morally reprehensible in any context outside of an informed and uncoerced consent (under which conditions it would probably never occur). It is an act so reprehensible that I think violence is a justifiable response.

While there is little equivalency between FGM and male circumcision as far as consequence, male circumcision is still generally performed before any age of consent and contains religious connotations, it pisses me off too. Unnecessary non consensual surgical alterations should be illegal world wide, and if it takes a war for this, I am in. Of course, any solution not involving war would be preferred.

[Tridimity]

GiantEvil, thanks, I do not agree with you on the violent approach but I agree with all the rest. I will try to find a suitable global petition that you may sign. Tri

[GiantEvil]

While I was looking for other stuff I found this; http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24533-doctors-given-duty-to-report-female-genital-mutilation.html#.Un746nVDvZg

Kinda interesting to see how specific social issues reach a critical mass of awareness.

It is good to see measures being taken that involve the civilized practice of justice, which is preferable to paroxysms of violence. Under most circumstances violence is abhorable. However, it is a mere set of circumstance that separates any of us from being the victims of some injustice, and being to weak or poor or uneducated to fight for ourselves. We should be helping each other and not hurting each other, and if somebody can't seem to understand that, well then I'm willing to try beating it into them.

[StringJunky]

Having signed the petition, I received this update about it today:

 

Dear Tony

,

The e-petition 'Stop FGM in the UK Now' signed by you recently reached 86,113 signatures and a response has been made to it.

 

As this e-petition has received more than 10 000 signatures, the relevant Government department have provided the following response: We regard female Genital Mutilation as child abuse and it is illegal. The Coalition Government is absolutely clear that political or cultural sensitivities must not get in the way of preventing, uncovering and prosecuting this terrible form of criminal activity. This Government recognises that tackling violence against women and girls, including FGM, requires a sustained, robust and dynamic cross-Government approach.

 

Every department needs to play its part in addressing FGM. The Department of Health is working to improve the information collected by the NHS on FGM. The Home Office has recently announced it will help fund a new study into the prevalence rates of FGM in England and Wales. The Department for International Development has established an ambitious £35m programme to address FGM in Africa and beyond, with an ambition toward ending FGM in one generation.

 

The Home Office is the lead on violence against women and girls (VAWG) and has captured FGM in our comprehensive VAWG Strategy, rather than in a stand-alone Action Plan. Recently updated, the Strategy (The Call to End Violence Against Women and Girls: Action Plan) has a renewed focus on protecting potential victims. Through the plan we are working closely across Government to help secure a FGM conviction, and with charities and frontline organisations to help improve awareness of FGM. As part of a continued effort to raise awareness, the Home Office has: Joined forces with the NSPCC and the Metropolitan Police Service to establish a dedicated FGM helpline, providing advice to anyone who is concerned about FGM:

 

http://www.nspcc.org.uk/inform/resourcesforprofessionals/minorityethnic/female-genital-mutilation_wda96841.html

 

Launched the Statement Opposing FGM, which sends out a strong message to anyone involved in this practice - it is illegal and has no place in our society. To date, we have sent out over 37,000 of these leaflets. Continued to work closely with the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure the Government is doing everything it can to help secure a prosecution. We are greatly encouraged by the Director of Public Prosecution’s assessment that it is only a matter of time before a perpetrator is brought to justice and the Minister for Crime Prevention will be discussing this matter with Alison Saunders shortly. Female Genital Mutilation is a human rights abuse with devastating consequences for victims. We are determined to work together across Government to protect victims, prosecute perpetrators and stamp out this abhorrent practice for good.

 

This e-petition remains open to signatures and will be considered for debate by the Backbench Business Committee should it pass the 100 000 signature threshold.

 

View theresponse to the e-petition

 

Thanks,

 

HM Government e-petitions http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/

Edited November 23, 2013 by StringJunky

[Tridimity]

Thanks StringJunky for your support, I received the same. I think the issue may have reached a critical mass and be gaining traction.

 

Just think: our humble efforts may, some day, prevent a vulnerable female child from being subjected to this physically and psychologically scarring abuse. If nothing else, it will have been worth it for that one child.