During the different women's movements that have occurred throughout our world's history, the role of INGOs and NGOs has been crucial to their progression and success. These organizations that have foundations outside of governmental bodies have found such success because their abilities to advocate an bring awareness to greater populations that gives them both financial and … [Read more...]
Female Genital Mutilation
Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is a term that includes all practices which remove, cut, or injure the female genitalia, and it affects close to 140 million infants, girls, and women around the world. Within Africa, approximately 101 million girls as young as 10 years old have experienced some form of FGM; it is also found within some Asian countries and in the Middle … [Read more...]
Female Genital Mutilation: Cultural Relativism vs. Universalism
Female Genital Mutilation poses a significant health risk to women. It can lead to infection, death, permanent psychological damage, among other complications. Women subject to this practice are being oppressed by men seeking to reinforce their dominance over females. As Boyle points out, this perspective is ethnocentric in that it implicitly assumes no woman would voluntarily … [Read more...]
United Nations. United Women.
This past Valentine's Day, members of the Davidson College community performed a rendition of The Vagina Monologues, a play written in 1996 by Eve Ensler. The monologues within the play reflect issues affecting women around the world such as rape, sex, birth, pleasure, genital cutting, and love. The production is part of a larger campaign called V-Day, both of which contribute … [Read more...]