&
      Steve
      Ellis
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Imagine
      this.
      You
      are
      a
      prepubescent
     
     
      i
      living
      in
      Northern
      Africa
      and
      you
      are
     
    

    
     
      ng
      confronted
      with
      an
      awful
      dilemma.
     
    

    
     
      You
      must
      either
      subject
      yourself
      to
      the
     
     
      excruciating
      pain
      of
      having
      parts
      of
      your
     
     
      external
      genitalia
      hacked
      and
      torn
      off
      and
     
    

    
     
      |
      ing
      your
      vagina
      sewn
      partially
      shut,
      or
     
     
      isk
      being
      shunned
      by
      your
      community
      and
     
     
      family
      and
      never
      being
      able
      to
      marry.
     
     
      iEarthermore,
      you
      have
      no
      choice
      in
      the
     
     
      matter.
      You
      will
      be
      mutilated.
      You
      will
      be
     
     
      |
      lated.
     
     
      |
     
    

    
     
      l
     
    

    
     
      ;
     
    

    
     
      /
     
    

    
     
      {
     
    
   
   
    
     
      This
      is
      hardly
      a
      fair
      situation
      for
     
     
      meone
      of
      such
      an
      innocent
      age,
      let
      alone
     
    

    
     
      y
      age,
      to
      have
      to
      face.
      Still,
      it
      is
      this
      very
     
     
      ation
      with
      which
      an
      estimated
      110
     
    

    
     
      lion
      women
      on
      this
      planet
      have
      had
      to
     
    

    
     
      .
      And,
      an
      additional
      2
      million
      girls
      are
     
     
      pjected
      to
      this
      torturous
      atrocity
      each
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      negative
      consequences
      for
      the
     
     
      men
      who
      undergo
      genital
      mutilation
     
    

    
     
      so
      called
      female
      circumcision)
      are
      many.
     
     
      ey
      range
      from
      physical
      effects
      such
      as
     
     
      rmorrhaging,
      chronic
      infections,
      and
     
    

    
     
      ing
      to
      psychological
      and
      social
      prob-
     
    

    
     
      s.
      For
      these
      women
      sex
      is
      agonizing.
     
     
      Any
      circumcised
      women
      die
      during
     
     
      Idbirth.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Female
      circumcision
      is
      not
      limited
      to
     
     
      ica.
      It
      is
      a
      predominantly
      Moslem
      ritual
     
     
      ch
      is
      also
      carried
      out
      in
      parts
      of
      the
     
    

    
     
      dle
      East,
      including
      Oman,
      South
      Yemen
     
     
      the
      United
      Arab
      Emirates,
      and
      in
      Asian
     
     
      tries
      such
      as
      Indonesia,
      Malaysia,
      India
     
     
      Pakistan.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      PHYSIOLOGY
     
    

    
     
      According
      to
      a
      report
      released
      by
      the
     
     
      ladian
      Advisory
      Council
      on
      the
      Status
      of
     
     
      men
      in
      March
      of
      1994,
      there
      are
      three
     
    

    
     
      es
      of
      genital
      mutilation.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      F
      irst,
      there
      is
      sunna
      circumcision,
      or
     
     
      oridectomy.
      In
      this
      procedure
      the
     
    

    
     
      Puce
      of
      the
      clitoris,
      sometime
      referred
      to
     
     
      he
      foreskin,
      is
      removed.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      In
      intermediate
      circumcision,
      often
     
     
      ¢d
      excision,
      the
      clitoris
      and
      parts
      of
      or
     
     
      bf
      the
      labia
      majora
      and
      minora
      are
     
     
      Oved
      and
      the
      two
      sides
      are
      stitched
     
     
      ether,
      leaving
      a
      variable
      opening
      to
     
    

    
     
      it
      the
      passage
      of
      urine
      and
      menstrual
     
     
      harge,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      by
      Jennifer
      Caseley
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Panther
      Prints
     
    
   
   
    
     
      re
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Finally,
      pharaonic
      or
      infibulation
     
     
      circumcision
      has
      two
      subclasses.
      The
     
     
      classical
      type
      involves
      removing
      the
      clitoris,
     
     
      labia
      minora
      and
      majora,
      the
      two
      sides
      of
     
     
      the
      wound
      being
      brought
      together
      with
     
     
      sugar,
      egg,
      thorns,
      or
      a
      palm
      reed
      splint
     
     
      called
      a
      gundura.
      The
      modern
      type
      involves
     
     
      the
      removal
      of
      the
      same
      parts
      as
      the
      classi-
     
     
      cal,
      with
      the
      exception
      that
      only
      the
      anterior
     
     
      parts
      of
      the
      labia
      majora
      are
      removed:
      The
     
     
      two
      sides
      of
      the
      wound
      are
      brought
      together
     
     
      by
      stitching
      with
      catgut
      or
      silk.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Put
      the
      medical
      terminology
      and
      its
     
     
      euphemizing
      effects
      aside.
      You
      can
      imag-
     
     
      ine
      how
      anguishing
      a
      process
      this
      would
      be.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      SOCIOLOGY
     
    

    
     
      Why
      do
      some
      societies
      force
      their
     
     
      women
      to
      participate
      in
      such
      an
      awful
     
     
      ritual?
      Put
      simply,
      female
      circumcision
      is
      a
     
     
      tactic
      of
      male
      proprietariness.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      practice
      is
      maintained
      as
      a
      way
      of
     
     
      protecting
      a
      woman
      against
      her
      ‘oversexed
     
     
      nature’,
      as
      one
      uncredited
      source
      put
      it.
      It
     
     
      keeps
      her
      from
      walking
      the
      sinful
      paths
      of
     
     
      promiscuity
      and
      prostitution.
      It
      honours
      the
     
     
      traditional
      opinion
      that
      a
      man
      should
      have
     
     
      control
      over
      every
      aspect
      of
      a
      sexual
     
     
      relationship.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Even
      the
      women
      in
      these
      societies
     
     
      think
      mutilation
      is
      essential
      in
      order
      for
      a
     
     
      woman
      to
      have
      a
      fulfilled
      life.
      They
      say
     
     
      that
      mutilation
      is
      done
      out
      of
      love.
      They
     
     
      have
      been
      brain-washed.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      THE
      CURE?
     
    

    
     
      According
      to
      an
      article
      in
      Canadian
     
     
      Woman
      Studies,
      written
      by
      Rogaia
      Mustafa
     
     
      Abusharaf,
      efforts
      have
      been
      made
      to
      ban
     
     
      female
      genital
      mutilation
      since
      1946,
      when
     
     
      the
      British
      tried
      to
      eliminate
      some
      forms
     
     
      during
      their
      colonial
      rule
      of
      Sudan.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      practice
      has
      been
      outlawed
     
     
      recently
      in
      many
      western
      countries.
     
     
      France(1978),
      Sweden(1982),
      and
      Great
     
     
      Britain(1985)
      all
      have
      legislated
      laws
     
     
      concerning
      the
      issue.
      They
      addressed
      the
     
     
      issue
      because
      of
      the
      rising
      number
      of
     
     
      immigrants
      and
      refugees
      arriving
      from
     
     
      countries
      where
      female
      circumcision
      is
     
     
      practised.
      Canada,
      as
      of
      March
      1994,
      did
     
     
      not
      have
      any
      legislation
      against
      female
     
     
      genital
      mutilation.
      ‘
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      THIS
      WEEK:
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Female
      Genital
     
     
      Mutilation
     
    
   
   
    
     
      In
      the
      countries
      where
      the
      practice
      is
      a
     
     
      tradition,
      efforts
      to
      curb
      the
      practice
      focus
     
    
   
   
    
     
      '
      on
      re-education.
      If
      the
      traditional
      brain-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      washing
      is
      purged
      from
      the
      heads
      of
      the
     
     
      women
      in
      countries
      where
      circumcision
      is
     
     
      practised,
      it
      will
      be
      difficult
      for
      the
      practise
     
     
      to
      be
      passed
      on
      to
      the
      next
      generation.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Groups
      such
      as
      UNICEF
      and
      the
     
     
      World
      Health
      Organization
      have
      been
     
     
      instrumental
      in
      this
      re-education
      by
      organiz-
     
     
      ing
      conferences
      and
      seminars
      for
      African
     
     
      women’s
      organizations
      and
      other
      interna-
     
     
      tional
      groups.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Despite
      these
      efforts,
      it
      will
      be
      a
      long
     
     
      time
      before
      this
      monstrosity
      is
      just
      an
     
     
      unpleasant
      memory.
      In
      the
      meantime,
      it
      is
     
     
      our
      duty
      as
      students
      --
      the
      next
      generation
      of
     
     
      leaders
      --
      to
      ensure
      that
      we
      do
      all
      we
      can
      to
     
     
      stay
      abreast
      of
      the
      issue
      and
      to
      speak
      out
     
    
   
   
    
     
      when
      we
      can.
     
    

    
     
      Remember
      the
      following
      quote.
      It
      is
      |
     
     
      taken
      from
      a
      posting
      on
      a
      newsgroup
      called,
     
     
      Tharunka,
      and
      it
      is
      uncredited.
      =|
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘Female
      circumcision’
      or
      female
      |
     
     
      genital
      mutilation
      as
      it
      is
      more
      correctly
     
     
      called
      is
      a
      social,
      political,
      control
      over
      the
      |
     
     
      sexual
      behaviour
      all
      over
      the
      world.
      To
     
     
      deny
      women
      the
      basic
      right
      to
      their
      sexual-
      _
     
     
      ity,
      and
      their
      bodies
      is
      to
      deny
      them
      the
     
     
      rights
      to
      having
      strength,
      power
      and
      iden-
     
     
      tity.
      The
      inability
      of
      women
      to
      have
      this
     
     
      inhabilitates
      them,
      they
      remain
      under
      the
     
     
      heels
      of
      patriarchal
      structures.”’
     
    
   
   
    
     
      For
      more
      information
      about
      female
     
     
      genital
      mutilation,
      visit
      the
      Women’s
      Centr
     
     
      on
      Campus.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Thank-you
      to
      Ruth
      of
      the
      Women’s
     
     
      Centre
      for
      providing
      so
      much
      helpful
     
     
      information
      for
      the
      writing
      of
      this
      column.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Back
      To
      School
      Specials
     
    
   
   
    
     
      3
      Year
      Warra
     
     
      Serviced
      Right
      stoi
     
    
   
   
    
     
      S
      PC
      DAE)
      ——(2093.0
     
     
      P
      >
      Per;
      ——tao
     
     
      wy
      POPo]_———5800
     
     
      i
      i
      TT
     
    
   
   
    
     
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      Uctober
      7,
      1995