یه‌كه‌م كۆنفرانسی ڕوبه‌ڕوبونه‌وه‌ی شێواندنی كۆئه‌ندامی زاوزێی مێینه‌ به‌ڕێوه‌ده‌چێت

یه‌كه‌م كۆنفرانس له‌ناوچه‌ی ڕۆژهه‌لاَتی ناوه‌ڕاست له‌باره‌ی شێواندنی كۆئه‌ندامی زاوزێی مێینه‌ له‌به‌یروتی‌ پایته‌ختی‌ له‌بنان به‌ڕێوه‌ چوو، به‌شداربوان له‌هه‌ر یه‌ك له‌ولاَتانی عێراق، هه‌رێمی كوردوستان، یه‌مه‌ن، مصر، ئه‌نده‌نوسیا  ئاماده‌ی ئه‌و كۆنفرانسه‌ بوون.

زریان محمد، ئاوێنه‌: له‌ڕاگه‌یه‌ندراوێكی‌ كۆنفرانسه‌كه‌دا كه‌ وێنه‌یه‌كی‌ بۆ سایتی‌ ئاوێنه‌ نێردراوه‌ هاتووه‌ “شێواندنی كۆئه‌ندامی زاوزێی مێینه‌ له‌ڕۆژهه‌لاَتی ناوه‌ڕاست وه‌ك كێشه‌یه‌كی لاوه‌كی پێناسه‌ كراوه‌، هه‌ر بۆیه‌ كۆنفرانسی به‌یروت به‌گرنگی ئه‌زانێت سه‌رنجی رای گشتی جیهان بۆ ئه‌م كێشه‌ فه‌رامۆشكراوه‌ ڕابكێشێت‌و نامه‌یه‌كی به‌هێز ئاراسته‌ی هه‌موو لایه‌ك بكات كه‌كاتی كاركردن‌و بزاوتی ڕاسته‌قینه‌یه‌ بۆ ڕۆبه‌ڕوبونه‌وه‌ی ئه‌م دیارده‌یه‌”.

كۆنفرانسی به‌یروت كه‌ رۆژانی‌ (16 – 19)ی‌ ئه‌م مانگه‌ به‌ڕێوه‌چوو، داوا له‌هاولاَتیان‌و ده‌سه‌لاَتدارانی ولاَتانی

1st ever conference on FGM in Middle East

FGM not merely an African problem; high rates in the Middle East

 The first conference ever on female genital mutilation (FGM) in the Middle East is currently taking place in Beirut, Lebanon, with participants from Iraqi Kurdistan, Central Iraq and Yemen with input from experts from Indonesia and Egypt. The groundbreaking event, organized by the non-governmental organizations Wadi and Hivos, is serving as a first common platform for experts and activists fighting FGM in the Middle East. Its purpose is to learn from each other, create a network and cooperation structure, and develop a coherent transnational strategy to eradicate FGM.

Until recently FGM was considered to be practiced mostly in African countries. Not much information is available about this practice in the Middle East. However, research, publications and various other evidence indicate that it is also practiced in Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Oman and Saudi Arabia. FGM is still very much a taboo issue in the Middle East. It is high time to break the silence about this gross violation of human and women’s rights.

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Iraq: New research highlights link between FGM/C and mental disorders

New data out of Iraq shows what many psychologists suspected though little research has confirmed: Girls who have undergone female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) are more prone to mental disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Results of the research – conducted by Jan Ilhan Kizilhan of the University of Freiburg, an expert in psychotraumatology (psychotherapy for people who have suffered extreme trauma) – were published in the April-June 2011 edition of the European Journal of Psychiatry.

Kizilhan found “alarmingly high rates” of PTSD (44 percent), depression (34 percent), anxiety (46 percent) and somatic disturbances (mental disorders whose symptoms are unexplainable physical illnesses – 37 percent) among a group of 79 circumcised girls in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq, aged 8-14, who did not otherwise suffer any traumatic events.

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سلێمانی‌، له‌ۆركشۆپێكدا 29 كه‌س خه‌ڵاتده‌كرێن

  

ۆركشۆپی تایبه‌ت به‌ (خه‌ته‌نه‌كردنی‌ مێینه‌)

له‌پاش كۆتایی هاتنی‌ ۆركشۆپی تایبه‌ت به‌ (خه‌ته‌نه‌كردنی‌ مێینه‌) پاشنیوه‌ڕۆی ئه‌مڕۆ له‌ قاوه‌خانه‌ی‌ كلتوری ڕێكخراوی‌ (وادی‌) بڕوانامه‌ به‌سه‌ر به‌شداربووه‌كاندا دابه‌شكرا.

(سه‌عده‌ عه‌بدولڕه‌حمان) ڕێكخه‌ری پڕۆژه‌كانی‌ ژنان له‌ڕێكخراوی‌ (wadi)  بۆ NNA ئه‌وه‌ی‌ خسته‌ڕوو، به‌ئاماده‌بوونی‌ چالاكه‌وانی‌ كۆمه‌ڵگای‌ مه‌ده‌نی‌‌و پارێزه‌رو ڕاگه‌یاندنكاران، بڕوانامه‌ی‌ تایبه‌تمان به‌سه‌ر (29) به‌شداربووی‌ ۆركشۆپه‌كه‌دا دابه‌شكرد.  

وتیشی‌:”ۆركشۆپه‌كه‌ تایبه‌ت بوو به‌ته‌ندروستی‌‌و لایه‌نی‌ ده‌روونی‌ ژنان‌و خه‌مۆكی‌و كاریگه‌رییه‌ خراپه‌كانی‌ پاش خه‌ته‌نه‌كردن، ئه‌وه‌شی‌ خسته‌ڕوو، ئێمه‌ ئێستا له‌ڕێی‌ تیمه‌كانمانه‌وه‌ كار بۆ هۆشیاركردنه‌وه‌ی‌ ژنان‌و كچان ده‌كه‌ین، له‌دیارده‌ی‌ خه‌ته‌نه‌كردن‌و كاریگه‌رییه‌ خراپه‌كانی‌ پاش خه‌ته‌نه‌كردن”.
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بریار به‌ختیار- سلێمانی‌/

 

Free of FGM Village

Sign of the first Village in Iraqi Kurdistan declaring itself free of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). In the last three months WADI started the Free FGM Village campaign and until now is co-operating with five different villages. The andjuman (kind of major) is helping to set the sign up. He is extremely helpful to implement the project. And already the first two girls aged four who should have been cut this year will be saved from this torture and they will be the first non-mutiliated females in this village since decades.

 

Iraqi Kurdistan: Free yourself from FGM – A new approach

By Suaad Abdulrahman and Arvid Vormann

In a remote village called Toutakhel, hidden amidst the endless hills of Kurdish northern Iraq, all the women had gathered. They said they were not aware of the dangers of female genital mutilation (FGM), which is still widely practiced throughout large parts of the region. Now they were willing to stop all violence and declare this in public, if only their children could attend secondary school in the next village, about 7 miles a stony, dusty pathway down to the riverside. “Without education”, they said, “we are nothing. We would rather die than leave our kids without education. We do not have much and we do not need much, but the children are our future.”

 

Every village is different. Toutachel people are very concerned with the future and well-being of their kids. There, like in many places, elderly men married young women, and some of the men had been married before and had several kids whom they all lost during Saddam’s genocidal poison gas attacks in the course of the so-called Anfal campaign of 1988. However, when they are talking about these horrifying experiences, it is as if it occurred last week and not decades ago. Now their new children have become very precious to them.

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FGM in Egypt: Backlash after the fall of Mubarak

Since the revolution, international support for this fight has significantly waned. Political instability has led to a 75 percent cut in Egypt’s FGM-related donor funds to the United Nations since January, according to Marta Agosti, the head of the anti-FGM program for the U.N.Changeover among government ministers has also slowed official work. The National Council for Childhood and Motherhood, the government body charged with addressing the problem, was shuttered after the revolution, and there is concern among activists that the capacity of the Council will shrink in its new home under the Ministry of Health. Instability and a lack of funds have curtailed the day-to-day work of NGOs; less field work and fewer workshops are taking place, according to Agosti.

In addition to the general shrinking of U.N. and NGO funds and efforts, the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood as one of the strongest political forces attempting to fill the void left by Mubarak’s departure presents potential obstacles to the campaign to end FGM. While the Muslim Brotherhood does not have an official position on FGM, the group has, in the past, opposed a complete ban on the practice. “Nothing in Islam forbids circumcision,” said Saad El Katani, the leader of the Brotherhood in parliament in 2008. Some members of the Brotherhood have argued that opposition to a complete ban does not indicate support of the practice, but they generally don’t speak out against it.

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“Honour” based violence: Whose honour are we talking about?

IKWRO International Conference 2011
Thursday 17 November 2011 from 9:30 am to 5 pm

This conference is organised by the Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights Organisation (IKWRO) in partnership with Refugee Women’s Association (RWA) and Türkisch Deutscher Frauenverein e.V (Papatya) Germany.

An opportunity for professionals such as police, teachers, health and social workers, researchers and other professionals with an interest in women’s rights to learn more about honour based violence.

Speakers:

Dr Nawal el Saadawi
Egyptian feminist writer, physician and activist
Mak Chishty QPM
Detective Chief Superintendent, lead on “honour”‐ based violence, FM and FGM, Association of Chief Police Officers, UK
Dr Corrina Ter-Nedden
Clinical psychologist, Türkisch Deutscher Frauenverein e.V (Papatya) ‐ Germany
Arvid Vormann
Researcher, Stop FGM Kurdistan, WADI– Germany
Kner Abdullah Hama Aziz
Writer and activist, Suleymania Provincial Council, Iraq
Chaz Akoshile
Joint Head, Forced Marriage Unit, UK
Diana Nammi
Founder and director of IKWRO

IKWRO’s clients will talk about their experiences

Kenian Clerics against FGM

The Kenya Council of Imams and Ulamaa has castigated Female Genital Mutilation saying it is against the Quran teachings and will fully support implementation of all FGM related laws. Islamic scholars Sheikh Ibrahim Lethome and Mohamed Swalihu under KCIU called upon mosques and Muslim institutions to fight the practice. “There is no authentic or relevant Islamic evidence allowing FGM in all its forms and the practice is harmful and violates freedom, privacy, health and dignity of the Muslim woman,” KCIU said in the statement.

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Not only in Ireland – in Kurdistan, too

Ifrah Ahmed about FGM in Europe: “Without follow-up, any legislation becomes meaningless”