The Muslim Woman

Female circumcision is a ‘rite of passage’ for young girls from childhood to adulthood. This cruel practice involves the removal of the clitoris and other parts of the female genitalia. Followers of this practice believe that it is an effective way to curb a woman’s sexuality. It is often referred as female genital mutilation by the Amnesty International and the World Health Organization. The word mutilation is used to reinforce the idea that this barbaric practice is a violation of the human rights of girls and women. Though, locally the term used widely is the less judgmental ‘cutting’. After all, no parent likes to think that they are mutilating their own daughters. Apart from the Middle East, female genital cutting is widely practiced in African countries, especially in the region from Senegal in West Africa to Somalia on the East coast. But now, due to immigration this practice is not confined to any specific region and has spread to Europe, Australia, and even the United States. British police are of the opinion that in Britain alone 66,000 girls face the risk of genital mutilation. According to Amnesty International, approximately 130 million women all over the world have been affected by some form of genital mutilation or the other. Despite the practice being banned in most countries, it is still a very enduring tradition, and more than 2 million such procedures are being performed every year. A very large section of tradition-bound families make their daughters undergo this genital cutting when they are on a vacation in their home countries. By doing so, the people involved in this crime can cover up their tracks and the girls get enough time to recover. Unfortunately, till the time this barbaric practice is completely stopped, millions of innocent girls worldwide will continue to suffer physical and emotional trauma all in the name of culture. via: Y!News

Sudan, the largest African nation, is reputed for violence and discrimination against women. Human rights violations against women have taken the driver’s seat here. Ethnic conflicts flowing from an ill-respected cultural diversity, insurgency, illiteracy, poverty, legislative discrimination and other basic issues have joined hands to exploit women economically, socially, politically and sexually. Life Amidst Evils Educational opportunities for women are limited. In fact, access to education remains only on paper. Enrolment percentages hover just around 25% in all states of Sudan except the capital. Drop out rates are badly high promoting illiteracy. The ever-raging civil strife has made ghostly contributions. It has led to a large widow population shouldering the family burden. Men remain at war, hardly finding time for a peaceful and responsible family life. Women participation in public offices is very low too. The ministries, judiciary, civil services, public enterprises and other state-owned entities do have women employees, but they represent an overwhelming minority. Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), an arrogant practice of female circumcision has been widely practiced, even before independence. Sudan is one of those African nations to have accepted this evil practice gracefully. Only in the last two decades have civil society groups and women activists raised strong voices against it. Governmental attitude too has lacked consistency, with false promises being made consistently. A conference in 2002 struck the wrong note when it attempted to confer legitimacy on FGM. It even urged civil society groups to model attitudes to promote FGM. Sadly legislations like Public Orders Law (1991) and Nationality Act are also ‘grossly discriminating’ limiting women mobility, dress code, marriage rights, public appearance, behavior and inheritance among others. Male dominance and female subjugation has been the governing spirit of Sudanese legislations. Atmosphere of Promise The protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on Women in Africa is an important tool of protection for women. With the peace settlement (CPA) now under existence from the African Union and United Nations (after Darfur), a golden chance awaits Sudanese women to push a movement to ratify the protocol. With general elections due in 2008, a politically supportive atmosphere makes their fight for rights, little easier. News Source: allAfrica Images: [1], [2]