Annotated Bibliography
Female Genital Mutilation. Publication. World Health Organization, 2010. Web. 07 Dec. 2010.
This work provided key facts about female genital mutilation. These facts included the description of what female circumcision is as well as many other factors associated with it. It provided that there are no health benefits associated with this procedure, rather many harmful health risks. It recognized female genital mutilation as a large violation against human rights and that there needs to be an end to it. Children do not have a voice to stand up for themselves so their rights are automatically being taken away from them by practicing this ritual. The publication also provided information about the different types of procedures of female genital mutilation. There are four different types in which they go into detail and explain. They also explain who is at risk for being subjected to this treatment as well as the short and long term consequences because of it. There are many causes of why female genital mutilation occurs that are social, cultural, and thought of as religious.
Female Genital Mutilation-An Interagency Statement. Publication. World Health Organization, 2008. Web. 07 Dec. 2010.
This publication provided key information and knowledge about many different aspects associated with female genital mutilation. It was very interesting to see all of the different organizations come together to present the information about this horrible practice. It pinpointed exactly where female genital mutilation is occurring and what cultures are practicing it. It also examined why this practice is occurring and gave reasons for it. It is a long withstanding cultural tradition that people do not want to break. It is seen as conforming to society and a cultural integration of people. This work provided information on the different classifications of female genital mutilation as well as the many health risks associated with it. It also provides information on the fact that action needs to be taken against this practice so it can be eliminated.
Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting. Publication. UNICEF. Web. 7 Dec. 2010.
This work provides a clear definition of what female genital mutilation is. It also shows that there are many health risks and complications that can be involved in the practice. They show that there is an outstanding amount of women from African culture that are subjected to this procedure which causes irreversible damage. They provide many explanations for why this practice occurs throughout many of these countries which include sexual, sociological, hygiene, health, and religious reasons. They explain that there is usually a set person designated to perform all of the circumcisions who also acts as a midwife during the births in the community. Many of the items they use to perform these surgeries are not sterile or clean and can cause many health issues. Countless women and children from these countries undergo these procedures and suffer the consequences in the long run
Renzetti, Claire M., Jeffrey L. Edleson, and Raquel Kennedy. Bergen. Sourcebook on Violence against Women. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2001. Print.
This book provided much information of where the people who are undergoing this procedure are coming from. There are a substantial amount of new cases of female genital mutilation that occur each year. The source explains how the female circumcision is carried out as well as the numerous health risks associated with it. The results can be detrimental to the women as well as the child when the female gives birth. Women in these societies are judged completely on their sexual acts. It is seen as disgusting if they are not virgins before they get married. Honor is dependent on their sexual acts as well as fidelity after they are married. By eliminating sexual pleasure by circumcising females, they are removing the chance that they might be sexually illicit.
Toubia, Nahid. "Female Circumcision as a Public Health Issue." The New England Journal of Medicine (1994): 712-16. Massachusetts Medical Society., 2010. Web. 7 Dec. 2010.
This article provided information about the many civilizations that practice this ritual in African countries. It proceeds to explain the different types of female genital mutilation that occur and how they are classified. It also explains the many complications that can arise from performing female circumcision on women and how it can have severe risks. Women can have long lasting psychological effects from the procedure as well as many sexual effects and complications. The author explains that this tradition is still practiced because it is embedded deep into many cultures and is seen as socially acceptable.
Walker, Alice, and Pratibha Parmar. Warrior Marks: Female Genital Mutilation and the Sexual Blinding of Women. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1993. Print.
This book also provided much information about the amount of women who are subjected to female genital mutilation. The author teamed up with a prestige documentary creator to create a documentary to show people exactly what female genital mutilation is and how it affects many women. They portray how these cultures maintain traditions which present females as being dirty or unsightly when they are not circumcised. The procedures also provides for the fidelity of the women in these cultures so they are worth something before they are married. These two women were very successful in presenting all of the harmful effects of female genital mutilation by getting first hand account from women that it had previously been preformed on.