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mmmm 6A NEWS/QQjie Calotte ^ott Thursday, January 8, 2004 Moro lUiicans chaltaiige female cirouiiicision Continued from page 1A spare the other three. Her mother, driven by peer pres sure, wanted it nonetheless. Slowly but surely, cultural norms are changing. Although more than 90 per cent of girls in Somalia, Egypt and Mali are mutilat ed, the practice is declining in other countries. In Kenya, only about 40 percent of women are mutilated. Most undergo TVpe I, which is the partial or total removal of the clitoris, or IVpe II, the removal of the entire clitoris and the cutting of the labia minora. In northeastern Kenya, where the ethnic groups are the same as those in Somalia, Type III, infibula- tion, is very prevalent, says Ian Askew, senior associate at the Population Council’s office in Nairobi, the coun try’s capital. In other parts of Kenya, TVpe III is extremely . rare, and the past two decades have seen a trend moving from Type II to 'lype I. More commonly, people are ceasing the practice alto gether. Finally, the messages about dire physical and emo tional scars are sinking in. "In the past, a lot of mes sages were oriented aroimd saying how dangerous it is to people’s health,” Askew says. "The problem with that is, people will practice a less severe form rather than stopping it. There’s far more emphasis these days that it contradicts basic human rights for good health and bodily integrity.” Girls in communities where female genital mutila tion is practiced often have no choice. It’s a prerequisite to marriage, a rite of passage that renders them viable members of their society. On a chosen day, a circumciser might come to the village, or the girls are brought to a neighboring village for local festivities or traditional cele brations during which the mutilation can occur. There’s often no warning or means of escape, and girls tend to accept the tradition because it’s culturally ingrained. However, an increasing number of girls are mobilizing to stop female genital mutilation and rejecting the practice within their communities. More than 130 million girls and women around the world have undergone geni tal mutilation, a practice some say began 5,000 years ago. At least another 2 mil lion are at risk every year. The mutilation, generally performed without anesthet ic, may have lifelong health consequences, including chronic infection, severe , pain during urination, men struation, sexual intercourse and childbirth and psycho logical trauma. Some girls die, often from bleeding or infection. Female genital mutilation is practiced in at least 28 countries in Africa, as well as in Indonesia, Yemen, in a few communities in other regions of the world and in countries with African immi grant communities. Many countries, including those that take in these immi grants, have outlawed or are working to ban the practice. Women known as female circumcisers overwhelming ly perform genital mutila tion. In Sudan, midwives typically carry out the tradi tion, and in Egypt, barbers often do it. "It’s a harmful traditional practice,” says Taina Bien- Aime, executive director of Equality Now in New York City, which works to protect the human rights of women and girls worldwide. "People sometimes attribute it to religion. It’s not mandated by any religion. It’s not sanc tioned in the Koran or the Bible. It’s very important for people to understand that it’s a human rights viola tion.” Tb help end the practice, midwives and traditional healers are encouraged to look into other avenues of generating an income. Also, new adolescent rituals in parts of Africa are replacing mutilation. Ceremonies con tinue to honor a girl’s induc tion into womanhood, teach her to cook and become a wife and mother, but without the cutting. In Senegal, a holistic and nondirective education pro gram called Tbstan, founded in 1991, has empowered vil lagers to lead a movement against female genital cut ting. A staff of more than 600 Senegalese teach democracy, human rights, hygiene, health and management skills in national languages, said Tbstan’s director, Molly Melching. Since the first vil lage made a declaration in 1997, 1,271 villages - more than 25 percent of Senegal’s practicing communities - have abandoned the cutting. ‘Many more declarations are scheduled within the coming five months in all regions, involving many dif ferent ethnic groups,” Melching says. Assistance from abroad goes a long way, too. The Godparents Association Inc. takes care of 40 to 50 girls in Uganda each year, says Rebecca Salonen, who coor dinates the volunteer organi zation from her home in Bridgeport, Conn. By vmt- ing letters and offering mon etary support, men and women of goodwill serve as “’godparents” to young women at risk of genital mutilation. For $375, a spon sor provides for a girl’s basic needs: medical care, uni forms and school fees. City Council debates whether to support latest HOPE VI appUcation Continued from page 1A the housing,bonds.” Council member Malcolm Graham, who represents' Belmont and part of Piedmont Courts, agrees. “I can’t speak for the coun cil, but I think we need to move forward ■with develop ment of WSOC-TV Belmont and news Piedmont connection Courts,” he said. “Our first priority should be to get the $20 miUion from the federal government. If we can get the $20 million, from the feds, that would be the best of both worlds.” HUD’s insistence on guar antees puts city council in a difficult spot, Charlotte Housing Authority CEO Charles Woodyard said. Without an affirmative vote Monday, the application’s chances of failure could increase. “HUD is looking for a definitive answer,” Charlotte Housing Authority CEO Charles Woodyard said. “We’ll not have a good chance of getting the grant without a firm commitment. They are unambiguous. The only contingency they’ll accept will be whether we get a HOPE VI grant.” If council opts for a referen dum and it fails, the city would have to find another funding stream, which coun cil members wony would divert funds from other pro jects. Regardless of what happens with Piedmont Courts, referenda may become a staple of public housing funding. ‘We appear to have the commitment,” Burgess said, “but we will be taking a gigantic leap of faith. My belief is that a majority of council -win go forward. I just feel very confident that the bonds will pass.” With a reduction in HOPE VI money nationally, the competition among cities win intensify. The goal is to maximize funding for Seat belt eampaign will target high-risk groups Continued from page 1A police -will step up enforcement in high-risk locales as well as conduct education sessions with community groups. “This next campaign we’re going to concentrate on areas where people aren’t buckling up;” Eubanks said. Especially disturbing is parents who don’t H buckle their children in safety seats, said Eubanks. He recoimted a traffic stop where a mother had two children sitting on the floor of her car without restraints. MEIJIC makes child-safety seats available to parents and provides instruction on installation, “I stopped her for speeding, and I didn’t see her children at first,” Eubanks said. “But she had an 18-month-old and a 2-year-old sitting Eubanks on the floorboard. Some people say they can’t afford a restraint system. My response is you can’t afford not to.” For more information, call (704) 336-4465. Piedmont Courts, especially on the federal side, ‘We’re in a Catch 22,” said Woodyard, whoTl meet with U.S. Sen. Ehzabeth Dole’s staff today. ‘We can do it now or do it later. It’s a lot cheap er if we can get the federal government in on it.” Did you know? • Newsweek magazine ranked 14 CMS high schools among its “Best in the U.S.” list, including four in the top 100. • CMS is home to 24 Schools of Excellence and 42 Schools of Distinction, as recognized by the North Carolina ABCs of Public Education program. • On SAT scores, the top 10 percent of CMS students outperform the top 10 percent of students, both state-wide and nationally. • CMS outperforms the nation in reading and math tests administered by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). In some communities, it will be another generation before the practice dies out, acti-vists say. In others, it will take much longer. The shift has happened through grass-roots movements. “’Outside pressures and intervention only strengthen people’s determination to protect their special tradi tions, like FGM,” Salonen says. “’The culture can only be changed from within.” So it’s best to make gradual but long-lasting changes. “’Society is like a herd of cows,” says Marilyn Milos, a registered nurse, founder and executive director of the National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers in the San Francisco Bay area. "The only way to turn the herd is to move the cows, one cow at a time. The herd changes direction when every cow is turned. That’s what it takes for society to change.” On the Net: Equality Now www.equalitynow.org Research, Action ami Information Network for the Bodily Integrity of Women: - www.rainbo.org Stop FGM: Female Genital Mutilation Office DEPOT Build the PERFECT OFFICE Reg. $149. 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Challenging Courses Caring Teachers Inspiring Character start here to learn more CMS School Information Fair Saturday, January 10-10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Charlotte Merchandise Mart All 148 CMS schools and many departments wUI be represented. Staff will be available to help complete personalized applications. Personalized applications will be sent home with all students who have to apply. Current CMS students who don’t have to apply but want to select a different school will need to pick up an application request form at the Information Fair, any school or the Family Application Center (124 Skyland Avenue). Free parking, courtesy of the Merchandise Mart. Come discover more about your school options. I^ms Ch8r1otte>M»cl(l«nburg Schools Prepare for greatness. For more information, cail 980-343-7450, logon to www.cms.k12.nc.us or tune in to CMS-TV3.
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Jan. 8, 2004, edition 1
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