Chapter 12

Strategies for Ending Female Genital Mutilation and Footbinding: Western Cultural Imperialism or Women’s Human Rights?

On This Page

• Links From the Chapter
• Related Maps and Photos
• Document from the Chapter
• Other Developments

 

 

Links from the Chapter

• Waris Dirie Foundation
• United Nations Sub-Comm'n on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights
  • List of Members (Note especially no. 25, Ms. Warzazi)
  • Final Report of the Sub-Comm'n
  • Note: The Sub-Comm'n has ceased to exist; it's final report was released after the 58th Session, Aug. 2006.
• UN Human Rights Bodies
• Commission on Human Rights (Note: The Comm'n on Human Rights was replaced by the Human Rights Council)
• Human Rights Council
• Merriam-Webster Medical Dictionary:
  • septicemia
  • dermoid cyst
  • keloid
  • neuroma
  • dyspareunia
  • necrosis
  • septum
  • vesicovaginal fistula
  • morbidity
  • Obstetric Fistula: See this link to the UNFPA campaign to end fistula.
• Nahid Toubia Links
  • Biography
  • Nahid Toubia, M.D., Female Circumcision as a Public Health Issue
    Click link for Advanced Search; set beginning date of search to 1993 and search for "Toubia, Nahid"
  • List of Columbia Department of Population and Family Health Faculty
• Anika Rahman
  • Biography
• Azizah al-Hibri
  • Biography Page (1) (2)
  • Expert's Guide
  • Bill Moyers Interviews Azizah al-Hibri. 2.15.02 (Transcript)
  • 1995 Al-Hibri Statement on Comprehensive Antiterrorism Act
• Legal Status of FGM Worldwide - Center for Reproductive Rights fact sheet

 

Related Maps and Photos

• Egypt
• Sudan
• Ghana

 

Egypt is located in Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Libya and the Gaza Strip, and the Red Sea north of Sudan, and includes the Asian Sinai Peninsula.

• Population: 83,082,869 (July 2009 est.)
• Ethnic Groups: Egyptian 98%, Berber, Nubian, Bedouin, and Beja 1%, Greek, Armenian, other European (primarily Italian and French) 1%

• Religions: Muslim (mostly Sunni) 90%, Coptic 9%, other Christian 1%
• More information at the CIA World Factbook

 

Sudan is located in Northern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea.

• Population: 41,087,825 (July 2009 est.)
• Ethnic Groups: black 52%, Arab 39%, Beja 6%, foreigners 2%, other 1%
• Religions: Sunni Muslim 70% (in north), Christian 5% (mostly in south and Khartoum), indigenous beliefs 25%

• More information at the CIA World Factbook

 

Ghana is located in Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote d'Ivoireand Togo.

• Population: 23,832,495 (July 2009 est.)*
• Ethnic Groups: Akan 45.3%, Mole-Dagbon 15.2%, Ewe 11.7%, Ga-Dangme 7.3%, Guan 4%, Gurma 3.6%, Grusi 2.6%, Mande-Busanga 1%, other tribes 1.4%, other 7.8% (2000 census)

• Religions: Christian 68.8% (Pentecostal/Charismatic 24.1%, Protestant 18.6%, Catholic 15.1%, other 11%), Muslim 15.9%, traditional 8.5%, other 0.7%, none 6.1% (2000 census)

• More information at the CIA World Factbook

*Note: Estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected.

 

Documents from the Chapter

 

Federal Statute Banning FGM , Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1995, Sec. 645, Pub. L. 104-208, sec. 645, 110 Stat. 3009-546, at 708-709 (1996), codified at 18 U.S.C. 116.
United States Code	PDF	External Link*

*Note: Scroll down to page 709.

 

Other Developments

 

For a critical view of Western attitudes toward FGM and the anti-FGM movement, please see:

Global Jurist- Female Circumcision as Female Genital Mutilation: Human Rights or Criminal Imperialism?

 

Uganda to Outlaw Female Circumcision Safa-AFP, "Uganda to outlaw female circumcision," Mail and Guardian Online, July 3, 2009.
Mail and Guardian Online		External Link

On July 3, 2009, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni announced that Uganda "will pass a law banning female genital mutilation," which is rampant among the tribes in the eastern region of Uganda, stating that "The way God made it, there is no part of a human body that is useless . . . [y]ou people interfere with God's work. Some say it is culture. Yes, I support culture but you must support culture that is useful and based on scientific information." On 10/16/2009, the bill that would have subjected a person convicted of aggravated FGM to life in prison was tabled by Kinkiizi East MP Dr. Chris Bayromunsi. For more information, click here.