Female Genital Mutilation

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Female Genital Mutilation Autonomy

• Group 1 - Nijmegen
• Elvira Fernandez
• Sudarvili Sivapalan
• Irene Korzilius
• Katrin Janssen
• Robert Nahly

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Structure of presentation

• Drama
• Introduction to FGM
• Introduction to Autonomy
• Autonomy related to FGM
• Discussion

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What is FGM?

• FGM was, and remains, a cultural, not a religious
  practise.
• If you must circumsize, cut as less as
  possible. al-Ghazzali, 500 years after the
  Prophet Muhammad.
• Quran (2187) Both, husband and wife, should
  have pleasure.

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FGM is practiced in many forms

• Sunna circumcision in which the tip of the
  clitoris and/or its covering (prepuce) are
  removed.
• Clitoridectomy where the entire clitoris, the
  prepuce and adjacent labia are removed.
• Infibulation (a.k.a. Pharaonic circumcision)
  which is a clitoridectomy followed by
  sewing up of the vulva. A small opening is
  left to allow urine and menstrual blood to
  pass. A second operation is done later in
  life to reverse some of the damage.

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Number of circumsized women

• About 135 million women worldwide.
• Approximately 6,000 girls per day, that makes it
  a girl every 15 seconds!
• It is practised in more than 28 African
  countries, Egypt, Oman, Yemen and United Arab
  Emirates.

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• Burkina Faso - illegal, but 70 of female
  population is circumsized.
• Niger - legal, but only 20 of female population
  is circumsized.
• Sudan - infibulation is illegal, but
  sunna-circumcision is legal.

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European countries where it is legal

• Croatia
• Macedonia
• Moldavia
• Romania

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Why it is done

• The clitoris is dangerous and must be removed for
  health reasons.
• FGM prevents vaginal cancer.
• An unmodified clitoris can lead to masturbation
  or lesbianism.
• FGM prevents nervousness from developing in girls
  and women.
• FGM makes a woman's face more beautiful.
• Clitoris and labia is view as the male part of a
  womans body.
• Unmutilated women are unclean and cannot handle
  food and water.

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Autonomy

• Individual autonomy The right of a person to
  have the possibility to make his/her own
  decisions.
• Group autonomy Making decisions in the best
  interest of a whole group.

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Different ways of looking at autonomy

• Traditional liberal orientation Autonomy as the
  right to self-determination. The right to choose
  for yourself.
• Ethic of care Autonomy is the right to
  self-governance, but its focused on a larger
  context.

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Autonomy as mutual dependency (H. Grashuis)

• Autonomy is not the same as independency, because
  we are very dependent on everything.
  (Independency is only an illusion)

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Empowerment

• Education about FGM, human rights and general
  laws.
• Empowerment is a way of giving a person more
  individual autonomy

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Websites

• www.amnesty.org
• www.fgm.org
• www.hjaelpbjorn.dk
• www.religioustolerance.org