What would we do with out the UN.

Early in our debate over female genital cutting, Richard Shweder of the University of Chicago critiqued a 2006 Lancet study by a group of researchers working with the World Health Organization. I invited those researchers from the W.H.O. study to respond.

They’ve prepared a response written by Hermione Lovel of Department of Health in Cambridge, England; Efua Dorkenoo of WHO; Zeinab Mohamed and Clare McGettigan of the University of Manchester, England, and E.O. Akande of W.H.O. and University College Hospital in Ibadan, Nigeria. The researchers addressed two questions raised by Lab readers:

1. Are there local organizations around the world discussing this topic? (Asked by Elizabeth Tierney.)
2. Is there any any collation of evidence on the positive and negative effects female genital mutilation (FGM)?

Here are the researchers’ answers:

1. There are many local organizations around the world discussing female genital mutilaltion (FGM). Your readers may be interested to know they exist in many countries in Africa where FGM is a traditional practice as well as in western countries where the practice has been reported in specific immigrant communities. To list just a few examples, they include the Inter-African Committee (IAC) which is the largest African women’s regional organization with national chapters in 28 African countries working to end FGM . Other well known groups working to stop FGM include Tostan in Senegal; BAFROW in the Gambia; the Babiker Badri Scientific Society in Sudan, Equality Now Kenya, Agency for Cultural Change UK, FORWARD UK, FORWARD Germany and RAINBO. Most of these are fully engaged in their work in local communities so do not devote their limited resources to web sites but some do have a web presence people. These include the large organizations such as the IAC, EQUALITY NOW and RAINBO. All have networks of grassroots organizations campaigning against FGM in Africa and parts of the Middle East. Most importantly the WHO Department of Reproductive Health and Research publishes factual education materials on FGM which can be downloaded here.
3. Aside from a number of research articles that have brought together what we know to date of the health complications, in 1995 a Manchester University team was commissioned to work with WHO to undertake a systematic literature search on primary evidence of health sequelae of FGM. This was produced in 2000 and is available here. [snip]

Understand, now that these NGO’s are talking about FGM, we assure ending this practice. Devoting this amount of compassion to the subject guarantees the solution.

How about dealing with this like the Brits and Progressives deal with guns. That works so well.