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13:10:52 |
Webmama_Tina |
today i'm happy to have candace walsh
with us from mothering magazine! |
|
13:10:54 |
Webmama_Tina |
Candace, Mothering's Articles Editor, is
just back from Africa after attending
Equality Now's Fifth Annual Meeting of
the Fund for Grassroots Activism to End
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). She
will be discussing the outcome of the
meeting and the current state of FGM. |
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13:11:18 |
Webmama_Tina |
candace would you like to add anything
to that intro? |
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13:11:32 |
Webmama_Tina |
like how many kiddos, any other
background, info on you that you'd like
to share? |
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13:12:34 |
Candace_Walsh |
That was a great intro. I have two
kiddos: 5 year old girlie Honoree, and
almost 3 year old blond dandelion fuzz
head Nathaniel. I have been a magazine
writer and editor for about 12 years but
was only radicalized on the topic |
|
13:13:10 |
Candace_Walsh |
of FGM in the last year and a half. What
a wild ride it's been, and continues to
be. There is so much positive change
happening. It's the realest thing I've
ever encountered. |
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13:14:11 |
Candace_Walsh |
Taking the big \African FGM Topic\" down
to a personal level--getting to know
women and girls who risk life and limb
to avoid FGM or save other girls from
their tragic fate--wow." |
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13:14:13 |
Webmama_Tina |
ok anyone have a question for candace?
we're slow starting here... |
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13:14:22 |
Webmama_Tina |
but it will probably pick up as time
goes on, usually does |
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13:14:59 |
Webmama_Tina |
wow candace, maybe you can start by
sharing how you got involved in this
project and where you are with it now?
the latest info? |
|
13:16:09 |
Candace_Walsh |
For instance, when the American
attendees were on a site visit to Narok,
Kenya, where Agnes Pareyio's rescue
center is located, they actually
witnessed a little girl, who had
traveled for three days without food or
water, on foot, to get to the rescue |
|
13:16:36 |
Candace_Walsh |
center. She was just shaking like a
leaf, and everyone surrounded her and
tended to her and gave her so much love
and support. |
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13:16:47 |
Candace_Walsh |
This was just 2 weeks ago. |
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13:17:08 |
kimberella |
Is there a \typicaL' age for FGM?" |
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13:17:44 |
Webmama_Tina |
wow |
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13:17:47 |
Candace_Walsh |
No--it varies from infancy all the way
up to late teens, as it can sometimes be
a pre-wedding or pre-birthing ritual. |
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13:18:18 |
kimberella |
so girls can spend their entire
childhoods in fear that \today might be
the day\" they are to be cut? " |
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13:18:36 |
Candace_Walsh |
Mothering was approached by the Pond
Foundation 2 conferences ago, and Peggy
O'Mara, our editor-in-chief, decided to
focus on the issue by sending two of us
staffers over. |
|
13:19:16 |
Candace_Walsh |
Well, to answer K's question, it's
usually shrouded in secrecy. And they
don't know what they're in for, even if
they have a foggy concept of what is
coming up. |
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13:19:48 |
Candace_Walsh |
If they are old enough to grasp certain
concepts, they think they are going to
become women. |
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13:19:49 |
kimberella |
I would imagine though that hte efforts
of activists are demystifying things
somewhat? |
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13:20:02 |
kimberella |
I would hope.... |
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13:20:05 |
Webmama_Tina |
one would hope |
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13:20:42 |
Candace_Walsh |
Yes, many of the activists just bring it
down to a health issue level--they
explain that all of the horrible health
problems girls and women have (death in
childbirth, UTIs, terrible time
menstruating, fistulas, are connected to
FGM. |
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13:20:48 |
Candace_Walsh |
That's a great first step. |
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13:21:11 |
Candace_Walsh |
Before, girls who say, scream in pain
during urination are thought to be
plagued by evil spirits. |
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13:21:22 |
Candace_Walsh |
were... |
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13:21:30 |
kimberella |
the \becoming a woman\" thing is huge. I
imagine there will have to be
\"replacements\" for this in a
\"ritual\" sense." |
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13:22:02 |
Candace_Walsh |
yes, there are already \alternative
rites of passage\" going on to replace
this. And they are working!" |
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13:22:27 |
lodgemama |
like what? |
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13:22:30 |
Candace_Walsh |
The communities are accepting the girls
as long as they go through the rites of
passage and learn all of the womens
wisdom, but without FGM |
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13:22:45 |
Candace_Walsh |
I'm sorry? |
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13:23:02 |
Candace_Walsh |
Do you mean, what alternative rites of
passage? |
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13:23:05 |
lodgemama |
what sorts of \rites of passage\" " |
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13:23:48 |
Candace_Walsh |
Basically, everything that a usual 2
week FGM seclusion ceremony would have,
but without the genital mutilation.
Singing, passing down of womens wisdom
thru generations, dancing, presents,
attention, bonding. |
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13:24:52 |
Candace_Walsh |
Recently, during the sort of
\graduation\" ceremony of a group of
girls who had gone through this AROP,
some older women came to yell at them
that they needed to be cut and they were
a source of shame to their communities.
The girls chased them off with" |
|
13:24:55 |
Candace_Walsh |
sticks! |
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13:25:03 |
Candace_Walsh |
I love that. |
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13:25:08 |
Candace_Walsh |
Spirit! |
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13:25:12 |
pyxiwulf |
:D |
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13:26:19 |
Quirky1 |
Can you tell us more about the topics at
the conference? |
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13:26:22 |
Webmama_Tina |
oh wow cool! |
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13:26:26 |
kimberella |
It sounds like a true paradigm shift is
happening in places where FGM has been
an embedded practice for eons |
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13:26:42 |
Candace_Walsh |
It truly is. Yes, Q, I will. |
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13:26:42 |
heather1969 |
? |
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13:26:49 |
Webmama_Tina |
Welcome to this week's Mothering
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|
13:27:21 |
Webmama_Tina |
current chatter: Quirky1 ...upcoming
chatters: heather1969 |
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13:28:03 |
Candace_Walsh |
One of the topics was releasing trauma
from the women and girls' bodies. Elaine
Miller-Karas, a Somatic Experiencing
Psychotherapist who has aided trauma
victims of the Tsunami and Hurricane
Katrina, taught the activists and
attendees simple ways to heal |
|
13:29:05 |
Candace_Walsh |
themselves and others by finding
emotional resources in their
consciousnesses and working with that
positive energy to impact other frozen
and traumatized parts of themselves.
Check out
www.traumaresourceinstitute.com. |
|
13:30:23 |
Candace_Walsh |
I also want to give you the Africa blog
address that has day-to-day updates from
the conference: |
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13:30:34 |
Candace_Walsh |
ug, it's not cutting and pasting, hang
on. |
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13:30:53 |
Candace_Walsh |
www.mothering.com/africablog/taking-on-fgm07.html |
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13:31:00 |
Candace_Walsh |
but to answer your question further |
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13:31:57 |
Candace_Walsh |
the activists shared methods that worked
for them--a lot of amazing
cross-pollination. They talked about
fundraising, one activist talked about
how calling it FGM is better than Female
Genital Cutting, because it firmly
anchors it in a human rights |
|
13:32:04 |
Candace_Walsh |
violation context. |
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13:32:36 |
kimberella |
and isn't mutilation far more apt a term
than cutting anyway? |
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13:33:01 |
Candace_Walsh |
another great thing was sustainability
day: Wendy Flick gave a presentation on
briquetting, which is a source of fuel
and income for Haitian women of formerly
impoverished circumstances. |
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13:33:10 |
Candace_Walsh |
YEP! |
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13:33:36 |
Candace_Walsh |
is that cool? Should we move on to the
next question? |
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13:33:42 |
Quirky1 |
Was the whole circumcision/HIV
prevention discussed at all? |
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13:34:32 |
Webmama_Tina |
we can get quirky's question and then
move on to heather's :) |
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13:34:33 |
Webmama_Tina |
current chatter: Quirky1 ...upcoming
chatters: heather1969 |
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13:34:47 |
Candace_Walsh |
Do you mean in terms of HIV being spread
when female genital mutilation is taking
place, when a circumciser uses the same
tools on everyone without cleaning them
in between? |
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13:35:25 |
Quirky1 |
i meant in context of male circumcision.
i am wondering whether anyone sees a
danger in promoting male genital
mutilation at the same time as trying to
discourage female genital mutilation |
|
13:36:05 |
Candace_Walsh |
The conference was on FGM, not MGM. No
one at the conference was promoting MGM.
Next question? |
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13:36:42 |
amberharness83 |
hello |
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13:36:51 |
Candace_Walsh |
hi! Welcome, Amber |
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13:36:57 |
amberharness83 |
thank you |
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13:37:12 |
kimberella |
heather, you're up... |
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13:37:52 |
heather1969 |
I read of a book addressing African
womens' criticism of how women from the
US and elsewhere, including Alice
Walker, have addressed FGM. It's
called Genital Cutting and Transnational
Sisterhood. Was that discussed? Have
you read it? |
|
13:38:42 |
Webmama_Tina |
sorry multitasking, yet again, thanks
for the help kimber :) |
|
13:39:08 |
Webmama_Tina |
Welcome to this week's Mothering
Sponsored chat! This is a moderated
chat. Please make sure you read and
fully understand the Moderated Chat
Instructions before participating in
this chat. Instructions can be found
here:
http://www.mommychats.com/modrules.htm
...A Friendly Reminder: Please do not
post unless it is your turn to ask a
question. If you have a question, please
post a single \?\" and you'll be added
to the queue. Have your question ready
when your name is called. " |
|
13:39:15 |
Candace_Walsh |
There has been a lot of wrong-footed,
top-down criticism of FGM in the past.
The Pond Foundation and Equality Now is
very sensitive about that, and they only
work with African grassroots activists
who have approached them for help
rooting out the |
|
13:40:06 |
Candace_Walsh |
practice in their own communities. We
are in solidarity with them--assisting
them in their own sovereignty as they do
what works best in their own
communities. Thanks for the book rec. |
|
13:41:17 |
Candace_Walsh |
I think that FGM is such a horrible
topic, and when I was in college and I
first learned about it, I was completely
galvanized until I read one article that
was by an African woman who was
criticizing Western liberal types who
were \prying\" into their " |
|
13:42:21 |
Candace_Walsh |
private stuff. It made the issue more
complex for me, and it also gave me an
\out.\" I didn't want to be politically
incorrect. But it goes way beyond that
when baby girls' clitorises and labia
are being cut off by tin can lids.
That's a human rights " |
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13:42:25 |
Candace_Walsh |
violation. |
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13:43:07 |
Webmama_Tina |
mamas remember if you have a question,
just post a single question mark and
i'll put you in the queue to ask a
question |
|
13:43:23 |
Webmama_Tina |
current chatter: heather1969
...upcoming chatters: none currently |
|
13:43:37 |
Quirky1 |
? |
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13:43:48 |
Webmama_Tina |
ok quirky, go for it |
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13:43:54 |
heather1969 |
What I understand is that FGM is an
important issue for African women also
given that they are the ones affected,
but it is THEIR right to choose to
define how to address the issue |
|
13:44:09 |
Webmama_Tina |
woops, sorry heather, didn't realize you
weren't finished |
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13:44:16 |
amberharness83 |
? |
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13:44:22 |
Candace_Walsh |
And we're so happy to be supporting them
in their decisions. |
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13:44:48 |
heather1969 |
How do you think your approach differs
from Alice Walker's? |
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13:44:52 |
lexi1706 |
? |
|
13:45:03 |
Webmama_Tina |
current chatter: heather1969
...upcoming chatters: Quirky1 ,
amberharness83, lexi1706 |
|
13:46:23 |
Candace_Walsh |
I'd love to answer your question, but as
I thanked you for the book rec, I
haven't read it. Please read my blogs
from the two conferences and I'm sure
your questions will be answered. I want
togive equal time to others. Next? |
|
13:47:01 |
Quirky1 |
Candace, I've enjoyed your blog and I
thought your article/call to action was
awesome. My only critique is, I don't
think you should have minimized the
harms of MGM. It is just as much a human
rights violation when boys are held down
and forcibly circed. |
|
13:47:10 |
Quirky1 |
Whether in the US or in other parts of
the world. Hundreds of boys die every
year from circ and their sexuality is
permanently harmed. I thought you fell
into the trap of emphasizing how
horrible FGM by understating the harms
of MGM. It’s not either-or. |
|
13:47:28 |
Quirky1 |
I think we all have to fight all forms
of circumcision here and around the
world. |
|
13:47:36 |
Webmama_Tina |
current chatter: Quirky1 ...upcoming
chatters: amberharness83, lexi1706 |
|
13:48:43 |
Candace_Walsh |
Gosh, I would never have wanted to give
that impression. I do want to point out
that the equivalent of 1st degree fgm is
cutting off the tip of the penis, the
equivalent of 2nd degree is cutting off
the testes and the tip of the penis, and
third degree is |
|
13:49:03 |
Candace_Walsh |
cutting off the entire penis, and the
testes. Next question? |
|
13:49:09 |
Quirky1 |
The foreskin contains half the nerve
endings of the penis. cutting it off is
like removing the clitoral hood and half
the clitoris. |
|
13:49:36 |
amberharness83 |
So are the African women in agreement
with this? Are they able to decide ?
What exactly is your part in this
matter? Do you agree with this FMG and
MGM? Thank you being here also! |
|
13:49:51 |
Candace_Walsh |
Absolutely. And that's FGM 1st degree.
The vast majority of FGM that takes
place is 3rd degree. |
|
13:50:39 |
Candace_Walsh |
1. The African anti-FGM activists are in
agreement about being anti-FGM. They are
able to decide to be anti-FGM but it's
very brave of them to be activists. |
|
13:51:25 |
Candace_Walsh |
Many girls and young children are not
able to decide not to undergo FGM
because they would be killed or thrown
out of their communities. That's what
the activists are trying to change. |
|
13:52:12 |
Candace_Walsh |
My part is just doing what I can to
raise awareness, shed light on their
brilliant and brave efforts, and direct
funds their way via Equality Now.
www.equalitynow.org. |
