“‘Female circumcision is a traditional practice that dates back hundreds of years in many African countries,’ explains Elizabeth Mwangi, justice and peacebuilding officer for Catholic Relief Services (CRS) in Kenya. ‘Some Kenyan communities are now recognizing the human rights and health issues involved and are taking measures to end the practice. At the same time, they want to retain the important rite of passage and cultural education that are also part of the ritual.’” [2]

The UN reports that over 91 million girls and women have already been circumcised, with roughly three million African girls at risk of circumcision annually. Consequences of the procedure include bleeding, infection, higher rates of infant mortality, physical and emotional trauma, sterility, and death. [1]

The short documentary below outlines the basic problem, as experienced by Egyptian women. Resistance to FGM continues to grow as more rural communities are educated about the risks.

Local and international movements alike have already initiated change. In February of 2003, the First Lady of Nigeria, Stella Obasanjo, called for “Zero Tolerance to FGM” in Africa. This prompted the UN to officially name February 6th the International Day of Zero Tolerance to FGM, and ceremonies marking this day occur around the globe. [3]

In 2007, The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) launched a $44 million campaign to reduce the practice by 40% in 16 African countries by 2015. The Norwegian government was the first major contributor to the campaign, donating $3.5 million to the cause. [4] Activist groups like CRS and End FGM Kenya also educate civilians and raise awareness internationally, in an effort to encourage women to not participate in the tradition. [5]

This decade has seen marked progress in the campaign to end female circumcision. Most recently, in December of 2009, Uganda officially banned it. Now, anyone in the country convicted of the practice “will face 10 years in jail, or a life sentence if the victim dies.” [1] Hopefully, as the resistance movement continues to grow, more nations will follow suit and take formal actions to eliminate FGM altogether.

Sources:

[1] “Uganda Bans Female Genital Mutiliation” BBC News Online. December 10, 2009

[2] “Saying ‘No’ to ‘The Cut’ in Kenya.” (Debbie DeVoe) Catholic Relief Services Online

[3] “Commemorating International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation.” (Charlotte Feldman-Jacobs) Population Reference Bureau. February 2009

[4] “FGM News: ‘UNFPA, UNICEF Step Up Efforts to End Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting.” Campaign to End FGM in Kenya. September 8, 2007

[5] End FGM Kenya

Her recent book, You’ve Come a Long Way, Maybe: Sarah, Michelle, Hillary, and the Shaping of the New American Woman, studies the impact of these women on the 2008 presidential campaign.

While her analysis is interesting, it’s far from objective. By inserting heavy-handed conservative judgments at every opportunity, she alienates and mocks readers who might disagree. The book, though thoroughly researched, reads more like a long op ed piece than legitimate journalism.

The quoted passages and reference materials do offer insight to the prevalence of sexism during the race. “Rush Limbaugh, speaking of a particularly unflattering photo of Clinton, … asked: ‘Will Americans want to watch a woman get older before their eyes on a daily basis?’” Though, he claimed aging men look “more authoritative, accomplished and distinguished.” Then, discussing Palin’s appeal, he said “she’s not going to remind anybody of their ex-wife, she’s going to remind men, ‘Gee, I wish she was single.’” (p.50-51). While Limbaugh is one of the more inflammatory pundits, many others described Hillary as too cold, and Palin as “exceptionally pretty,” and “a real honey.” (p.47) Even Michelle Obama, an accomplished lawyer and activist, had the media focus on her wardrobe and physique (particularly her arms) more than anything else.

“According to a poll of women conducted for Lifetime Networks after the 2008 election, ‘65 percent of women – majorities in every demographic and political group – said that male and female candidates are held to different standards on the campaign trail.’ Women thought it was easier for a man to be ‘taken seriously by the voters,’ or to be ‘covered seriously by the media.’” (p.125) Americans also frowned upon Palin as a working mom more than Obama as a working dad, and tended to view racism as a bigger problem than sexism.

Sanchez presents interesting points in this way, but veers into dangerous territory when revealing her biases. For one, she claims that any women who supported Hillary in the primaries, but didn’t switch teams to vote for Palin, were anti-feminist. “[My feminist friends] assumed that, as a career woman, I would be naturally offended by certain of the governor’s policy convictions. I was dumbfounded, and I turned the question around on them. ‘How could you not support Palin?’ … Didn’t the ’sisterhood’ mean anything to them?” (p.78) This superficial standpoint emphasizes only the biological similarities between the candidates, ignoring the fact that Clinton and Palin are political and ideological opposites.

The patronization and sexualization of women headed toward the White House was phenomenal last year, and You’ve Come a Long Way, Maybe couples valid arguments with revealing research. Still, Sanchez’s overt conservatism blurs the line between fact and opinion, and her casual, inconsistent writing style leaves much to be desired.

Sources:

[1] Leslie Sanchez Official Site: About Leslie Sanchez

[2] Sanchez, Leslie. You’ve Come a Long Way, Maybe: Sarah, Michelle, Hillary and the Shaping of the New American Woman. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009.

As a child, she was active with gymnastics, tap dancing and swimming. She taught herself how to drive with her feet, and type at 25 words per minute.

Jessica was also the first armless person to get a black belt in Tae Kwon-Do, and the first woman in the history of aviation to fly with her feet.

After graduating from the University of Arizona with a degree in psychology, she founded RightFooted.com and travels around the country as a motivational keynote speaker. Employers and educational professionals laud Cox for her ability to spread optimism and a “can-do attitude” to anyone in any stage of life. [2]

Sources:

[1] “Young People Who Rock: Jessica Cox” // CNN.com. February 22, 2009

[2] RightFooted.com: Jessica Cox Motivational Services

Todd Barkau, 37, started training the daughter at age 12 to engage in acts of sexual bondage, domination, sadism and masochism with him and others. When she turned 14, he set up an online business, marketing her as Mistress Alisha in both online and in-person sexual encounters. The girl’s mother, who is not named to protect the identity of the victim, assisted in the business and received financial compensation, prosecutors said.

In the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Barkau and the victim’s mother pled guilty to commercial sex trafficking of a minor. He will be sentenced to 25 years in prison, and she will get 15. It’s likely he was hit with a longer sentence because he participated in the molestation.

The victim, who is now 22, attended the plea hearings and told the judge that she approved of the plea agreements. Barkau and the woman will be sentenced after pre-sentence investigations are completed.

Source:

Thanks to Tina from New Hampshire for this article.

“Former Blue Springs Pair Admit Guilt in Case of 12-Year-Old Dominatrix” (Tony Rizzo) The Kansas City Star. September 24, 2009

Yemen, the poorest country in the Middle East, has a society based on Muslim tribal customs.  It’s common for poor Yemeni families to give away their young daughters in exchange for large dowries. The Social Affairs Ministry reports that roughly 1 in 4 Yemeni girls get married before the age of 15. Youssef was only 11 when her father married her to a 24-year-old man from Saudi Arabia.

“The reason behind it is the lack of education and awareness,” says Ahmed al-Quraishi, chairman of Siyaj human rights organization, which promotes the rights of children in Yemen. There are no statistics to show how many children are married every year.

The issue also made headlines two years ago, when an 8-year-old Yemeni girl went to a courthouse by herself, demanding a divorce from a man in his 30’s. She was eventually granted the divorce, and it prompted legislators to question the practice of marrying children.

Then in February of this year, Yemeni parliament passed a law that would make the minimum age to wed 17. Before the president could sign off on it, however, some lawmakers requested it be reevaluated by the parliament’s constitutional committee. They claimed the measure was potentially un-Islamic.

Other Middle Eastern countries have been known to permit child brides, but it’s believed to be the most widespread in Yemen.

Source:

“12-Year-Old Girl Dies While Giving Birth in Yemen” (Ahmed Al-Haj) The Huffington Post. September 12, 2009