Annotated Bibliography

Domonoske, C. (2018). Judge says federal law against female genital mutilation violates U.S.
constitution. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2018/11/21/669945997/judge-says -
federal-law-against-female-genital-mutilation-violates-u-s-constituti
This article exposes the inability for American government to act upon female genital mutilation
happening in its own country. A Michigan doctor was being charged for the genital mutilation of
at least nine girls when they were only seven. Despite Congress having put forth legislation in
1996, there are still several states in which it is still legal. The judge claimed that they have no
ability to enforce the legislature, in fact, this is the first case to be brought under federal law to
go against FGM in America. The judge in the case claimed that it did not fall under
Congressional powers to enforce and regulate commerce, health services, or preventing gender
discrimination.

EU policy & legal framework. (2015). Retrieved from

http://www.endfgm.eu/female-genital-mutilation/eu-policy-and-legal-framework/
Through this article, there was a lot of information about the efforts that are being put in place to
stop female genital mutilation overseas, specifically in Europe. Efforts in Europe first started
having an impact with action plans such as the Stockholm Programme and on November 25,
2013, otherwise known as the International Day of Elimination of Violence Against Women, the
European Commission released an action plan “towards the elimination of female genital
mutilation.” Not to mention the efforts being made by the European Parliament who have passed
three resolutions, the most recent of which being passed in 2018 promoting zero tolerance
against FGM. This was a credible source as it came directly from an EU website relating to
ending FGM and was well organized without any noticeable errors.

Female genital mutilation or cutting. (2018). Retrieved from

https://www.womenshealth.gov/a-z-topics/female-genital-cutting
This article was extremely informative, but as informative as it was it was equally as hard to
read. The article, which just listed unbiased facts, was blunt and uncensored which made a large
impact on me. It not only provided the four different types of FGM and the consequences of
them, but it explained the different reasonings behind the mutilation. Additionally, the article
listed issues with it, the most disgusting of which was the fact that there is rarely any pain
medication administered before, during, or after the procedure. The statistics on multiple
countries and the percentages of girls and women affected by FGM were shocking as well. The
sheer amount of people who have to live with the effects of FGM were shocking: 100-140
million young girls and women alive today have had this done to them. Since this article came
from a .gov website about women’s health, the provided information can be trusted.

Guy, J. (2019). Woman jailed for 11 years for performing FGM on her 3-year-old daughter.
 Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/2019/03/08/uk/fgm-uk-sentencing-scli-intl-gbr/
index.html
This article was really interesting as it discussed some recent developments in enforcement of
laws prohibiting female genital mutilation in the United Kingdom. In February of 2019, a judge
sentenced a 37-year-old woman from Uganda to eleven years in jail, in addition to another two
for other charges, for performing FGM on her daughter, who is only three. This is the first
conviction for performing FGM in the UK. The courts called it a “barbaric practice” and that the
mother “betrayed her [daughter’s] trust in [her] as her protector.” A confusing part, however,
was that the woman’s husband was acquitted, but there is no explanation provided. This article is
from CNN and so it seems to be reputable, especially since it is so recent.

Koski, Alissa., & Heymann, Jody. (2017). Thirty-year trends in the prevalence and severity of
female genital mutilation: A comparison of 22 countries. BMJ Global Health, 2(4).
Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5717946/
This was a write-up on a study that took data from twenty-two countries, twenty of the them
from Africa and the other two from the Middle East, as that is where female cutting is most
prevalent. As this was a longitudinal study, not only did it provide a representation of the overall
data, but it showed the trends which will prove to be very useful in this capstone. Since part of
the essential question is what it being done to prevent/ stop FGM, seeing the changes over time
could give a clue as to if anything is actually making a difference. When there is a sharp increase
or decrease, research can be done on the legislation being passed and any culture shifts that are
occurring in that country within the three years that that data point summarizes. From what can
be seen, there seems to be a stagnation in many countries, however, research on how to interpret
the data and graphs better would be beneficial.

Madsen, E. & Bietsch, K. (2017) Data in new wallchart show female genital mutilation/cutting
declining in many countries. Retrieved from https://www.prb.org/wallchart-female -
genital-mutilation-declining/
This article was a great source of statistics on the impact of new legislation and the impact that
education in countries which FGM is most prevalent has on the statistics of girls affected. The
statistics show that education and more urbanization aids in decreasing the number of girls
impacted. In some areas, it has even been shown to have decreased by 76%. Since it is an article
from PBS, it is reputable and the statistics seem credible and unbiased. The article also addressed
issues such as the fact that 95% of girls in Guinea and Somalia are still affected and that different
parts of countries will have varying levels of prevalence.

Moghe, S. (2017). 3 US women share the horrors of female genital mutilation. Retrieved from
https://www.cnn.com/2017/05/11/health/fgm-us-survivor-stories-trnd/index.html
This article really opens the readers eyes to the fact that female genital mutilation doesn’t simply
happen in third-world countries, but that it happens in the US. It happens to girls of all ages,
despite it being illegal in all states for girls under the age of eighteen. Despite two doctors being
charged for committing the crime on two seven year old girls. Additionally, it was interesting to
read the survivors stories and what their memories are surrounding the events, which are usually
not very vivid as they are so young and experiencing such a traumatic procedure. Finally,
another thing that had not been considered was the fact that this is not a race or religiously
separated issue as one of the victims was from a white, Protestant family. This is a credible
source as it is from CNN and it would be useful to do more research on the experiences of
women in order to be fully educated on what the impact of the procedure is.

Muse, Dahabo. (1998). Feminine Pain. Retrieved from http://www.femaleintegrity.se/poem.htm

This poem was extremely moving to read as it makes the reader begin to understand the depth of
pain and suffering that the victims of female genital mutilation are thrown into. The idea that a
women who is forced to go through this horrendous trauma and then simply be told that her pain
is not bad or something to complain about based solely on the fact that she is a woman and,
therefore, inconsequential. The ending, an appeal to the reader’s humanity, pleads for change to
be made. It is an appeal to “all peace loving people to protect, to support and give a hand to
innocent little girls who do no harm,” and to encourage progress so that they no longer know
feminine sorrow, but a world without barriers or bonds.

Ritchie, M. (2016). This is what it's like to pee after female genital mutilation. Retrieved from
https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-36101342
This article was by far the most difficult to read about because not only did it talk about statistics
and facts such as the others, or the vague reasoning and experiences the girls receive, it is from
the perspective of a woman who described the everyday pain and torture it inflicted on her. It
documented the immense struggle it was for her to be intimate, give birth, or even be confident
in her own body. Hibo Wardere, who is the victim of type III FGM, has three daughters and has
refused to put her daughters through the same pain she once went through despite her being
pressured by extended family. The pictures that are included, though slim, are extremely
effective and made a lasting impact on the reader. This is arguably the most moving and
emotional artifact so far.

UNFPA. (2018). Female genital mutilation (FGM) frequently asked questions. Retrieved from
https://www.unfpa.org/resources/female-genital-mutilation-fgm-frequently-asked-questions

This page full of frequently asked questions was similar to another annotated article, only it is a
little more in depth and, therefore, harder to read. Some of the statistics and reasonings they
provided were very disturbing. It broke the reasoning down into five categories: psychosexual,
sociological, hygiene/ aesthetic, religious, and socioeconomic. None of these reasons being
supported by fact, religious text, or a significant medical impact. This article also addressed
some of the counterargument questions that have been presented. Though the responses were
quick summaries, it started a logical argument against the protection of culture versus the
protection of individual girls. In general, it claims that culture is static and should not be able to
qualify any unprompted violence against.