Sierra Leone top female circumcisers abandon trade, burn instruments

[deadparrot]

FREETOWN (AFP) - Fifteen Sierra Leonean women involved in female genital mutilation (FGM) made a collective public declaration at the weekend "completely" to abandon the practice, a local paper said.

The 15, who were not named by the Sierra News, are widely regarded as highly skilled in female circumcision in Lunsar, in Porto Loko district, 145 kilometres (90 miles) north of the capital, where the government estimates they were responsible for up to a third of the operations.

They pledged at a public ceremony to work now towards "safeguarding the health of women and girls," the state-owned newspaper said.

As a symbolic gesture, the women publicly set ablaze their instruments, at a rally organized by a local non-governmental organisation, the Amazonian Initiative Movement (AIM), championing a campaign against FGM in the West African nation.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/sierraleonewomenhealth

[soothsayer]

1. Hey, cool!

[jeff30997]

2. Disgusting practice!!!

[Cronus Protagonist]

9. As is male genital cutting

Although this is much more severe... OUCH!

[Warpy]

10. The equivalent in men is cutting the penis off

so please don't try to equate the personal choice to circumcise male infants with this barbaric mutilation.

[Cronus Protagonist]

11. It's only a matter of degree

It's all cutting genitals. And I didn't equate it, I pointed out that the femail genital cutting is generally more severe.

However, you don't care about accuracy when you stand for cutting genitals as a personal choice. "Hey, two day old baby, want your penis slitted open and a third of your penis chopped off? C'mon, it's not even in the same ballpark as female genital cutting."

"waaaaaa" means NO. But they have no choice, you must agree.

[LeftyMom]

15. Circumcision is only a personal choice for the bearer of the penis.

Cutting another's penis without consent is "barbaric mutilation."

[Cronus Protagonist]

16. You remind me of my mum

:)

:yourock:

[arcane1]

37. while I agree that FGM is much much worse...

circumcision is rarely the choice of the penis-bearer... every circumcised male that I know was an infant at the time

[Touchdown]

30. Half of it is. And it is an equivelant.

We're all on the same side here. "Barbaric mutilation" of American male infants is just as heinous as the "personal choice" of FGM. It's just more acceptable to white people who speak english. That is the only difference.

[Jara sang]

3. This gives me hope for the future of humanity.

Per haps one day human beings will burn all of it's guns and armaments in a similar gesture.

[cynatnite]

4. So nice to read this tonight

K&R!

[Hekate]

5. That's phenomenal. I wonder what turned them around?

For years I've believed the only way to rid the world of this heinous practice would be the same way the Chinese finally got rid of foot-binding (which was practiced by nearly all classes) -- from the top down, by sending soldiers to villages and prosecuting the parents. In the case of footbinding, at least they were able to unwrap the feet of little girls and keep them from being utterly crippled, which unfortunately can't be done with FGM.

Whatever the case, this is damn good news.

Hekate

[Suich]

6. Wow! Great news!

I hope it's not some stupid publicity stunt.

[azurnoir]

7. Thank ( deity of choice)

This horrible practice must be stopped. While working in OB/GYN a few years ago I saw first hand the results of this awful practice both physically and emotionally on the women who were victims of this.

[SammyBlue]

8. About fucking time. We Jews circumsized because of tradition

and because of the infections that happened in ancient times.

These people do it forcibly in order to prevent the woman from fully enjoying sex and therefore reduce the chance they will cheat on their husbands.

No knocking the woman out, but alot of screaming, torture and blood.

Disgusting, barbaric thing only MEN could think up!

No woman would EVER think shit like that up!

[manic expression]

12. Things fall apart?

Hopefully they can keep their culture and heritage. This practice was terrible of course, but IMO, we need to make sure we don't mutilate entire cultures and societies while trying to end mutilation.

What do other people think?

[Bridget Burke]

23. Where in the article did it say these ladies were following orders....

From Washington DC?

I think your concern is misplaced.

[manic expression]

24. No, it wasn't about that

My concern is that with an end to something that is obviously part of this culture, that culture may suffer because of it. To me, keeping the diversity that we have in the world is very important, and this occurance is hopefully not a signal for the end of a people's heritage.

Erosion of the practice is not bad at all, erosion of the culture is terrible. That is my concern.

[starroute]

39. I read once that in Indonesia . . .

. . . they have female circumcision ceremonies without the circumcision. I'm sure this sort of practical workaround can be passed along.

[barb162]

13. Wonderful news

The less women this happens to, the better!
It's a barbaric practice

[Fleshdancer]

14. Surprising and wonderful news!

I hope others follow this trend.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

17. Awesome. But might some families do it themselves now?

I hate to think this way but it is an entrenched practice there. I'm glad on the one hand that the women have renounced the practice, but if they were the most skilled at it I fear that now girls will be hacked up by amateurs. :scared:

[dolo amber]

26. That was my first thought as well

x(

[uppityperson]

35. Mine too, sounds like they will be working actively against which is good

[jmowreader]

18. What I hope that statement means

The FGM operators who just renounced the practice said they were going to work to safeguard the health of women and girls.

I hope that means they're going to work to get the parents who want this done to stop. This is a useless, disfiguring, barbaric...procedure, but unless the parents stop seeking it, FGM will continue to be practiced.

[RDU Socialist]

19. so these women were the sierra leone version of mengele

they should be imprisoned for this atrocious practice.

[LostinVA]

20. No, they weren't... and no, they shouldn't be

Ugh.

[bleedingheart]

21. it was a cultural practice and the men's desire for "controllable"

wives were the reason it was done.

In fact...in some countries the girls were sewn up in order to insure virginity for their future husbands..

[Bridget Burke]

22. No, you're wrong.

They finally realized that their ancient practice was wrong. And they did the right thing.

[Nikki Stone 1]

27. kick

:kick:

[Quantess]

29. Yes, FINALLY.

Better late than never, I suppose.

[JitterbugPerfume]

25. Read Warrier Marks by Alice Walker

It will change your life


Female circumcision is barbaric , and the ultimate control tactic

[NashVegas]

28. Great, But How Will They Stop Others From Replacing Them?

I gotta wonder :(

[Canuckistanian]

41. They might go back to their traditional ways

Old women using rusty razor blades.

Hopefully, this starts a trend where people start thinking about the health consequences and the excruciating pain the girls go through for something that does not benefit them.

[Touchdown]

31. Excellent news!

Hopefully they can convince more of the rest to put their instruments down.:applause:

[enough]

32. Inspiring. I can't think of another example where a powerful entrenched

group has reexamined their participation in a traditional practice and decided that it was the wrong way to do things. Ordinarily traditions only change as the generations pass away.

If entrenched leaders in many fields around the world (including politics) could follow these women's example, maybe there would be some hope for the world.


Of course I don't mean that these women are "powerful" in the same way that politicians are, but they had the power of being the bearers of accepted tradition in their own society. They have burned the tools of their own traditional societal prestige. This action seems unprecedented to me. Maybe others have similar examples.

[myrna minx]

33. This is making me weep with joy.

:cry: I am so happy about this. Someone give me a hug!! :hug:

[porphyrian]

34. Yay for ending genital mutilation! - n/t

[arcane1]

36. wow, actual good news!!!!

:bounce:

[warrens]

38. Every now and then, something GOOD happens in the world

Lately, it's been pretty rare, but it's nice to see.

[IronLionZion]

40. It's best when they voluntarily stop doing it

That gives more credibility rather than being forced to by the government.

There are many horrible practices in Africa that encourage pain, suffering, and disease. Only through modern education can we ameliorate the situation. The people have to want to stop it, and then it will stop.