Female circumcision Essay Example for Free

Female circumcision Essay Female circumcision, also referred to as female genital mutilation, is a traditional practice dating back to ancient times in many African and Middle Eastern countries. It is a procedure that involves the cutting, burning or removal of the clitoris, labia and sexual tissues; the specifics of the procedure vary by region and culture. Female circumcision is performed on young girls usually between the ages of five and twelve years old. Many of the girls are tricked or forced into the procedure, which is performed by a woman in the village with knowledge of the tradition but no medical education or training. While it is considered a rite of passage for girls in these cultures, female circumcision has no valid medical purpose. The practice of female genital circumcision is a medically unnecessary one that leaves women with permanent physical, mental and emotional pain and scarring. Female genital mutilation procedures are done differently in various parts of the world. In some cases, the clitoris is cut from the body. In others, the clitoris and labia, the sexual tissues that are external to the vaginal opening, are cut away and the vaginal opening is stitched shut. According to Anika Rahman, there are, â€Å"numerous other procedures that have been documented, such as pricking, piercing, stretching or burning of the clitoris and/or surrounding tissues† (8). The procedure is usually done by a woman of the village or tribe designated for just this task. It is usually performed with knives or razor blades that are not sterile in unsanitary environments and conditions, increasing the risk for infection and complications. Performing such an intricate medical procedure outside of a hospital and without trained medical personnel can result in a variety of complications, including urinary tract infections, pelvic infections and anemia from excess bleeding. One of the most common long-term complications from female circumcision is pain and discomfort during sexual intercourse. Adding to this common problem is the fact that many women whose vaginal openings are stitched closed are forced to stay that way until their first sexual experience with their predetermined husband, which can lead to tearing, bleeding and further tissue damage or scarring. There are emotional and mental scars that accompany female genital mutilation along with the physical ones. In Tears of the Desert, Halima Bashir describes her experiences at eight years old in which a girl is made to feel special without being told what specifically will be done to her: â€Å"In our tradition circumcision is supposed to mark the passage from girlhood to womanhood, and so I was treated almost as if I were getting married† (55). She describes being held down by her own grandmother while a village woman cuts her with a razor blade and that, â€Å"I knew that somewhere deep in my lost womanhood there was a burning heart of agony, but I had removed my mind to a place where it couldn’t be hurt anymore† (57). These words sound like those of a trauma victim in shock rather than those of a girl that has undergone a traditional rite of passage, providing an example of the emotions that can be experienced by a girl forced into female circumcision with no prior knowledge of the procedure. In an interview with Alice Walker, another woman described how she was kidnapped by friends of her family and circumcised: â€Å"†¦her mother had told her they were going to a place where there were many bananas. She loved bananas. When they arrived, she was captured by women she’d never seen before, pinned down by them, circumcised, and kept secluded for two weeks† (Walker 42). Numerous accounts reflect memories of searing physical pain, tearing, bleeding, and fainting. The realization that this is done to a girl when she is as young as five years old makes the procedure seem even more brutal. The actual process of female circumcision is different in each country that practices it and so are the reasons behind it. There are no valid medical reasons for the procedure, and most countries that practice female circumcision hold it as a cultural tradition or rite of passage rather than a religious rite. Rahman states, â€Å"It is important to note that female circumcision is a cultural, not a religious practice. The practice predates the arrival of Christianity and Islam in Africa and is not a requirement of either religion† (6). In these countries, most women are considered the property of their families until they are given away to the husbands their parents has chosen for them to marry, and it is considered vital to go to marriage sexually pure and a virgin. It is believed in these cultures that female circumcision is one way to suppress sexual urges, to prevent sexual activity, and to ensure that a girl’s virginity is kept intact. A girl that isn’t circumcised is considered dirty, impure, and sexually deviant. Ayaan Hirsi Ali describes how, during her childhood in Somalia, â€Å"†¦little girls were made ‘pure’ by having their genitals cut out†¦I was a Somali woman, and therefore my sexuality belonged to the owner of my family, my father or my uncles†¦the place between my legs†¦would be broken only by my husband† (Ali 31, 72). This attitude is a commonly accepted one in countries that practice female circumcision, leading mothers to subject their daughters to the same practice that was done to them and often deceive them in order to force them to submit to tradition. Many girls are taught that they will be physically unclean and unsuitable for any man to want to marry and will therefore bring shame and dishonour to their families if they are not circumcised to keep them pure until marriage. Rheman states, â€Å"Refusing to undergo female circumcision may jeopardize a woman’s family relations, her social life or her ability to find a spouse† (25). Since most of these girls remain in their home villages their entire lives, the concept that not all women undergo this procedure is often unthinkable to them. Halima Bashir relates how, when she went away to college and encountered girls her age that hadn’t been forced to undergo circumcision, â€Å"At first I didn’t believe it. I had just presumed that all girls went through their cutting time† (145). Though it may be tradition, there is proof that female circumcision violates women’s human rights and should be illegal. The international treaty known as the Women’s Convention defends women against human rights violation and sexual discrimination. According to the convention, states Rheman, â€Å"female circumcision must meet two principal criteria. One, it must be a distinction based on sex and two, it must have the effect or purpose of impairing the equal enjoyment of rights by women. Female circumcision fits within this definition of gender discrimination† (21). Female circumcision is intended to stop women from experiencing physical pleasure during sex or even being able to have sex outside of their sanctioned marriage, making it a form of gender discrimination. Female circumcision deserves to be recognized as a tradition in the African and Middle Eastern countries in which it has been practiced. However, its recognition does not warrant the continued abuse and violation of human rights of the women in these countries. These women are subjected to years of physical pain, sexual problems, infections and childbearing complications. These procedures are inflicted upon them without their consent and without informing them of the health risks or alternatives. It represents an antiquated view of women in which they are undervalued and treated as property instead of free-thinking individuals with equal rights and voices. Female circumcision might be tradition, but it’s one that needs to be outlawed for the health and safety of women and in the name of upholding the human rights of all people. Works Cited Bashir, Halima. Tears of the Desert. New York: Ballantine, 2008. Hirsi Ali, Ayaan. Infidel. New York: Free Press, 2007. Rahman, Anika, ed. Female Genital Mutilation: A Guide to Laws and Policies Worldwide. New York: Zed Books, 2001. Walker, Alice and Prathiba Parmar. Warrior Marks: Female Genital Mutilation and the Sexual Blinding of Women. New York: Harvest Books, 1993.

US Foreign and Defence Policies Essay -- Politics International Relati

US Foreign and Defence Policies Within America, there has long been a tension between those who describe themselves as realists or idealists - a tension that suggests a stark choice between the narrow pursuit of interests or an endless campaign to impose our values†¦ I reject this choice. President Barack Obama, Nobel Peace Prize Remarks, 10 December 2009 Since the end of the Cold War, U.S. grand strategy has revolved around maintaining this country's overwhelming military, economic, and political preponderance. However America is changing, President Barack Obama is shifting American foreign policy from its historical norms based on exceptionalism, isolation, and bipartisanship. President Obama has asserted; that the United States will us its economic and military power as a stabilizing influence; that America will multilaterally engage other world partners to solve security, economic, financial, and environmental problems; and he will become a post partisan President bridging the party divide in foreign policy ideology. Thus, President Obama has reconceptualised US foreign policy resulting in a grand redefinition, an ideological shift, which will realign America role in the world. When we examine Obama’s foreign policy from a perspective of exceptionalism, we see a departure from the US historical understanding of its role. The United States of American has a long believed that is a unique nation, a nation that was created and developed differently, a nation unlike any other in the world, a nation that is blessed by God, a nation that is exceptional. The US has firmly held to exceptional view that they are the dominant defenders of democracy, liberty, freedom, equality, and capitalism. Traditionally because of its mi... ...07): 71-83. DeConde, Alexander. Isolation and security: ideas and interests in twentieth-century American foreign policy. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1957. McCormick, John. "American Exceptionalism: The Implications for Europe." Journal of Transatlantic Studies Vol 3, no. 2 (Autumn 2005): 200-205, 213-214. Obama, Barack. "President Barack Obama's Inaugural Address." The Whitehouse. January 20, 2009. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/president-barack-obamas-inaugural-address (accessed Novemeber 16, 2010). —. "Remarks by the President at the Acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize." The Whitehouse. December 10, 2009. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-acceptance-nobel-peace-prize (accessed November 16, 2010). Schwarz, Benjamin, and Christopher Layne. "A New Grand Strategy." Atlantic Monthly 289, no. 1 (January 2002): 36-42.

5 steps in a process to collect digital evidence Essay

Some important steps in the process of collecting digital evidence from the time you are called to assist and the time when you have to testify are: identifying evidence, collecting evidence, preserving evidence, analyzing evidence and presenting evidence (Solomon et. al, 2011, Loc 2332). One of the first steps in identifying evidence is understanding the purpose of the investigation. This knowledge will help you to decide what evidence you will need based on the type of case you’re participating in. A critical part of identifying evidence if it is a criminal investigation would be to know what is allowed on the search warrant. As the Computer Forensics Jumpstart we are using for our textbook, seldom is â€Å"take everything† allowed (Solomon et. al, 2011, Loc 2332). Even if the investigation does not involve a search warrant, care must be taken to operate within legal guidelines because ANY investigation may â€Å"end up as prime evidence for lawsuits in the future† (Solomon et. al, 2011, Loc 2341). The second step in identifying the evidence is to take a look around. Perform a site survey (Solomon et. al, 2011, Loc 2351). Take pictures, make notes, sketch the area and make sure you have enough information to describe the area in detail should you need at some future date (Solomon et. al, 2011, 2361). Take note of what you see and what you think it means. You will look at the usual laptop or computer and at the hard drive and other portable storage devices of course, but remember to look beyond the obvious. The textbook uses the example of seeing a high-speed scanner and a credit card reader (Solomon et. al, 2011, Loc 2389) and thinking about what possibilities these items would be used for.

A Brief History of the Ivory Trade in Africa

Ivory has been desired since antiquity because its relative softness made it easy to carve into intricate decorative items for the very wealthy.  For the past one hundred years, the ivory trade in Africa has been closely regulated, yet the trade continues to thrive. Ivory Trade in Antiquity During the days of the Roman Empire, the ivory exported from Africa largely came from North African elephants. These elephants were also used in the Roman coliseum fights and occasionally as transport in war and were hunted to extinction around the 4th century C.E. After that point, the ivory trade in Africa declined for several centuries. Medieval Times to the Renaissance By the 800s, the trade in African ivory had picked-up again. In these years, traders transported ivory from West Africa along the trans-Saharan trade routes to the North African coast or brought East African ivory up in boats along the coastline to the market-cities of north-east Africa and the Middle East. From these depots, ivory was taken across the Mediterranean to Europe or to Central and East Asia, though the latter regions could easily acquire ivory from southeast Asian elephants. European Traders and Explorers (1500-1800) As Portuguese navigators began exploring the West African coastline in the 1400s, they soon entered into the lucrative ivory trade, and other European sailors were not far behind. During these years, ivory was still acquired almost exclusively by African hunters, and as the demand continued, the elephant population near the coastlines declined. In response, African hunters traveled further and further inland in search of elephant herds. As the trade in ivory moved inland, the hunters and traders needed a way to transport the ivory to the coast.  In West Africa, trade focused on numerous rivers that emptied into the Atlantic, but in Central and East Africa, there were fewer rivers to use. Sleeping Sickness and other tropical diseases also made it almost impossible to use animals (like horses, oxen, or camels) to transport goods in West, Central, or central-East Africa, and this meant that people were the primary movers of goods.   The Ivory and Slave Trades (1700-1900) The need for human porters meant that the growing slave and ivory trades went hand-in-hand, particularly in East and Central Africa. In those regions, African and Arab slave traders traveled inland from the coast, purchased or hunted down large numbers of slaves and ivory, and then forced the slaves to carry the ivory as they marched down to the coast. Once they reached the coast, the traders sold both the slaves and the ivory for hefty profits. The Colonial Era In the 1800s and early 1900s, European ivory hunters began hunting elephants in greater numbers. As demand for ivory increased, elephant populations were decimated. In 1900, several African colonies passed  game laws that limited hunting, though recreational hunting remained possible for those who could afford the expensive licenses.   Pouching and Legitimate Ivory Trade, Today At Independence in the 1960s, most African countries maintained or increased colonial game legislation laws, either outlawing hunting or permitting it only with the purchase of expensive licenses. Poaching and the ivory trade continued, however. In 1990, African elephants, with the exception of those in Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, were added to Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna, which means that participating countries agreed not to allow their trade for commercial purposes. Between 1990 and 2000, the elephants in Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, were added to Appendix II, which permits trade in ivory but requires an export permit to do it.   Many argue, though, that any legitimate trade in ivory encourages poaching and adds a shield for it since illegal ivory can be publicly displayed once purchased. It looks the same as legitimate ivory, for which their continues to be relatively high demand for both Asian medicine and decorative objects.   Sources Hughes, Donald, â€Å"Europe as Consumer of Exotic Biodiversity: Greek and Roman times,† Landscape Research 28.1 (2003): 21-31. Stahl, Ann B., and Peter Stahl. â€Å"Ivory production consumption in Ghana in the early second millennium AD,† Antiquity 78.299 (March 2004): 86-101.