Rethinking Feminist Discourses on Female Genital Mutilation: The Case of the Sudan
Female genital mutilation (FGM) as a violation ofthe human rights ofyoung girls and women, is a subject that in recent years has been under serious scrutiny by the media and the medical community, as well as by feminist scholars. In the United States the practice of female infibulation was brought to the scene by the case of a Nigerian migrant who appealed her deportation order on the grounds of her well founded fear of human rights violations upon returning home. This migrant argued that her daughters would be forced to undergo circumcision or infibulation if they were to return to their village of origin in Nigeria. As a corollary, a new legislation was introduced by Congresswoman Barbara Schroder to prohibit the practice especially among immigrants who thrive to keep it alive in the diaspora. While this article is not intended as a detailed or exhaustive account on feminist work on female genital mutilation, it is in cssence an attempt to provide an alternative approach to studies that fail to capture the reality of why this practice persists. Beyond stressing exotic cultural otherness, and by addressing how the practice curbs women's sexual pleasure, feminist representational discourses tend (with some exceptions) to ignore the contextuality of the forces within society that pertain to, and regulate female sexuality. By emphasizing the implications and barbarity of the excision of women's genitals on their sexual satisfiction, these studies constantly distance themselves from the socio-political and economic contexts ofwider violations ofwomen's rights.
Female Genital Mutilation: A Violation of Human Rights
Female genital mutilation is a term used to describe a wide range of traditional practices that involves partial or total removal of external female genital for cultural, religious and social reasons. This cultural practice is a violation of human rights of child and women. This article is, therefore, aims at argue against the practice of Female Genital Mutilation. In doing so, the paper divides into three parts. The first part will discuss about the concept, origin, types and rationales of the practice of FGM, and highlight the practice from the Ethiopian experience. The second part will also examine the tension between the Universalist and cultural relativist approaches in regards to the practice of FGM. Universalists argument is against the practice of FGM as a harmful cultural practice that violates human rights of child and women. Whereas cultural relativists are supporting for the continuity of the practice as there is no culture which can evaluate other cultural practices as moral, ethical and valid or not, and as it is performed for the sake of cleaning the vagina of girls and make them ready to marry. The third part, which is the main focus of the paper, will analyses the human rights of child and women that violates by the practice of FGM like the right health, the right equality and sexual and physical integrity. Finally, the paper will end by the concluding remarks of the writers.
Treatment of Leprosy: science or politics?
Objective  To review the history of the treatment of leprosy and leprosy reactions after World War II.