Female Genital Mutilation in Egypt - Thesis Proposal Example

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Egypt: Eradicating a Local Tradition through Global Intervention Strategies Proposer:  Context Recently,female genital mutilation (FGM) or, also called female circumcision, has attracted significant public attention, particularly in Western cultures. Individuals and groups across the globe have resisted and condemned this ancient practice and began to mobilize local and global movements aimed at abolishing it. A.M. Rosenthal, an American journalist, called FGM “the most widespread existing violation of human rights in the world”i and proposed the termination of financial subsidies to governments which permit the continuation of this practice. Human rights organizations are giving their utmost efforts to have FGM classified as torture. As stated by the legal representative of the women’s refugee project, Nancy Kelly, “Harm that is done to women is seen as a personal, private, or cultural matter. Genital mutilation has not been seen as a type of harm.”ii Similarly, the Foundation for Women’s Health Research and Development (FORWARD) has portrayed FGM as “a violation of the fundamental human rights of the girl child” and “another form of abuse under the guise of custom and tradition.”iii First, FGM is widely viewed to be related to Islam. This is maybe expected, in view of Islam’s obligatory male circumcision and the prevalence of FGM among Muslim societies. Nevertheless, it is imperative to keep in mind that the Quran does not oblige the circumcision of females, that not every Islamic society performs female circumcision, and that a large number of non-Islamic societies do. It has been proposed that ‘religion’ is commonly cited, quite instinctively, as a motivation for practicing FGM.iv Anthropologist Janice Boddy replied that “the question of what is meant by ‘religion’ remains obscure”v and emphasizes that for numerous women “religion is nothing less than their entire way of life; religion and tradition are not merely intertwined, they are one and the same.”vi Most of the attention and efforts by scholars and advocates has been focused on proving the inadequacy of biblical bases for performing female circumcision. Second, female genital mutilation is still prevalent in Egypt today. It remains inconclusive when FGM was initially established, but it definitely came before Christianity and Islam. Several contemporary historians argue that female circumcision is a Pharaonic practice, an assumption that is still unconfirmed because early Egyptian writings depict only the circumcision of males.vii FGM is more of a cultural tradition than a religious practice; followers of Islam and Christianity in Egypt’s countryside perform it, whereas their fellow Christians and Muslims in other places refuse to do so. Even in several fully Christian societies, existing evidence indicates, every female endured circumcision. The most widespread type of FGM in Egypt is the total or partial cutting of the labia minora and the clitoris.viii According to the 1995 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), 97% of women aged 15-49 have went through circumcision.ix The roots of the pervasiveness of FGM in Egypt have been identified in the countrywide DHS and evaluated by ethnographic research. Some of the causes are adherence to religious teachings, increasing the sexual satisfaction of males, protecting female celibacy and virginity, and acquiring social approval.x Third, the need for intervention becomes pronounced as FGM continues to be practiced in some societies, like Egypt. It is not surprising to know that numerous medical, moral, and legal problems emerge from FGM. Among feminists and social advocates, fighting FGM is a major policy objective. FGM has a terrible effect: a lot of girls become infected or bleed excessively which eventually causes death. Survivors can experience detrimental health consequences later in life, especially during marriage and pregnancy.xi However, it is reasonable to believe that traditions which are rooted in the cultural principles of a given society should not be subjected to the interpretation and assessment of ‘outsiders’. Nevertheless, this premise is erroneous. There are basic moral values which are valid for all individuals plainly because they are human beings. For that reason, cultural traditions are reasonable and admissible only when they are compliant with these values, and cultural principles must be respected only if they are morally justifiable. FGM has no medical defense. Per se, they disrespect the value of individual integrity and freewill. Therefore, all societies that disregard, all groups that require, and all individuals who take part in them, are morally culpable. This remains true even if some women may give their consent for their own circumcision because this event does not exercise any reliable, voluntary, and informed consent. Healthcare and medical groups have a moral duty, based on their professional ethics, to give their best efforts to prohibit female circumcision.xii Governments and their branches have an obligation to eradicate FGM as a grave disrespect to human dignity. Fourth, FGM is relevant to global health. In many African societies, at least 90 million females aged 10 and above are believed to have gone through circumcision, and roughly 3 million females are likely to undergo the ritual every year. The custom of FGM has been found out across the globe, but it is largely widespread in 28 African countries and a number of Middle Eastern and Asian countries.xiii As seen in the graph below, Egypt has one of the highest numbers of women who have been circumcised. Figure 1. Percentage of women 15-49 years old who have been cut Source: Child Info 2012, http://www.childinfo.org/fgmc_progress.html Due to global migration, the observance of FGM and its detrimental effects involves as well an increasing number of females in New Zealand, Australia, North America, and Europe.xiv Female circumcision is a human rights violation. This practice is reported to be dangerous for females in numerous ways. The cutting or mutilation of normal genitals hinders healthy body functioning and results in temporary and permanent sexual, psychological, emotional, and physical problems. Perhaps as an outcome of the fact that female circumcision had long been dealt with as a health concern, and of the better understanding of its health effects, people are ever more resorting to medical practitioners to carry out the procedure, believing that it will lessen the possibility of complications.xv A current study reports that roughly 18 percent of all females who have underwent FGM in the societies from which information are obtainable have had the procedure administered by a medical practitioner.xvi Further studies are needed to determine whether this trend is also true for migrants and expatriates from societies that practice female circumcision. The groups of medical practitioners that have been discovered performing FGM are physicians, qualified traditional birth attendants (TBAs), midwives, nurses, and other staffs providing medical assistance to the people. Several of these medical practitioners are formally retired, yet keep on performing female circumcision and other medical procedures.xvii In 1979, the World Health Organization (WHO) opposed FGM’s medicalization. Soon after, in 1982, this was restated in an official declaration of WHO’s stance to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. In 1993, the medicalization procedure was criticized by the World Medical Association, and afterward by many other medical professional organizations, including governments, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and international groups.xviii In 1997, this denunciation was further emphasized and restated in the multiparty statement of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and WHO against female circumcision. The disapproval of medicalization was highlighted once more in the interagency declaration on the eradication of female circumcision that was approved in 2008 by ten United Nations organizations.xix Moreover, a number of United Nations Treaty Monitoring Bodies appealed to national governments to eradicate FGM’s medicalization. Several national governments have ratified laws banning female circumcision, and some with a specific statement on punishment if the procedure is performed by a certified medical practitioner. Numerous countries have instigated other major measures as well, such as the creation of national action programs, integration of FGM into the education of medical practitioners and direct collaboration with other groups (e.g. international organizations, international and national NGOs, etc.) involved in the movement.xx Female genital mutilation of any form is a human rights violation, particularly, a violation of the rights of the child; the right to freedom; the right to life; and the right to non-discrimination. In addition, FGM is a violation of the right of an individual to the utmost possible condition of health, since it harms normal genitals and can result in fatal psychological and physical problems for women. It is in view of these violations of human rights that numerous national governments have already ratified laws against female circumcision.xxi Societies performing female circumcision usually view the procedure as an integral component of their social norms and cultural tradition, and as part of their religious obligation. Among migrants, such views usually remain true, particularly when moving to a location where women are allowed to exercise self-determination.xxii Although the rights to religious freedom and to take part in cultural life are defended by international ruling, the ruling specifies as well that freedom to perform one’s beliefs and traditions could not surpass the guarantee of people’s basic rights and liberties.xxiii Hence, the right to observe one’s cultural and social practices and religious values cannot be exercised to defend FGM. Review Purpose This paper argues that female genital mutilation is more of a cultural practice than a religious one. In general, this paper tries to examine and discuss female genital mutilation in Egypt and the need for intervention strategies. There are four major bases for the thesis topic: (1) the continuous practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) as an integral part of Islamic culture; (2) the ancient practice of FGM remains widespread in contemporary Egypt; (3) the need for intervention due to medical, legal, and moral implications of FGM; and (4) the relevance of FGM to global health. The findings of the study will hopefully contribute in raising the awareness of local populations and global communities about the medical, legal, and moral repercussions of female genital mutilation. It will hopefully provide some insights about the best intervention strategies to eradicate the practice of FGM in some Islamic and non-Muslim communities. The findings of this study will hopefully be of some assistance to local agencies and international organizations in their efforts to finally eradicate the practice of FGM. Review Questions It has been claimed that female circumcision is founded on cultural and religious doctrines which gives it a very strong footing. Thus, the important questions to address are: (1) Is FGM truly an Islamic tradition supported by the Quran? Or (2) Is FGM simply a part of the ancient traditions which has penetrated the Islamic institution and afterward been taken as a manifestation of an Islamic belief? Objectives Thus, the objectives of this study are: (a) to show that FGM is more of a cultural practice than a religious one; (b) to determine culturally appropriate and needed intervention strategies; and (c) to determine the implication of FGM for global health Methodology Project Type The researcher uses a descriptive research design or, more particularly, extensive library research. This is the most appropriate research design to adopt since the nature of the study requires a thorough examination of secondary data and related literature. The study takes on an argumentative stance in order to demonstrate clearly the strengths and weaknesses of each of the party to the continuous debate about female circumcision: (1) whether the practice is rooted in Islam or cultural tradition; and (2) whether the practice should be viewed under the Universalist or Cultural Relativist paradigm. Type of Source Materials Source materials are only secondary references such as peer-reviewed journal articles, scholarly textbooks, newspapers, and so on. Primary source materials, such as data from interviews, surveys, etc, are not considered for this study due to budget and time constraints. Searching Techniques The researcher looks for the above source materials in public libraries and online libraries, such as Questia, Proquest, Ebscohost, etc. The concepts are defined here based on its relevance to the nature and scope of the present study. Reference Management The referencing format that is used for the study is APA 6th edition. Instead of using in-text citations the researcher uses endnotes to organize in-text referencing. The researcher thoroughly checks every citation, especially those for direct quotations. The page numbers for every citation are thoroughly checked to avoid confusion. Analysis The researcher chooses qualitative analysis over quantitative because the objectives of the studies require a comprehensive review of vast volumes of related literature about the nature and implication of female genital mutilation for global health and international community strategies, more particularly, for human rights. Limitations Due to the absence of primary data, the researcher can only present a description of female genital mutilation in Egypt based on previously written accounts and earlier research findings. The pure qualitative analysis only provides a partial, descriptive interpretation of FGM. Future researchers should make use of a mixed methodology, a combination of qualitative and quantitative analysis, to provide a more comprehensive, accurate, and reliable account of FGM in Egypt. Read More