Non Governmental Organization: Equality Now

For centuries women and young girls have been told what to do, their futures have been pre planned for them. However it’s not every girl's dream to be a stay at home housewife. Women want a chance to feel safe, to explore the world, without fear of being punished or put down. Women have often been considered the weaker sex, but not any more. The National Organization for Women, also known as NOW, is a public feminist organization that was founded in 1966. NOW’s goal as a national organization is to educate the world on the economic inequalities surrounding women, along with the rising amounts of crimes committed against women that go unnoticed. As a result of NOW’s speeches, rallies, and, marches many young women have been inspired to speak

In the article “Women’s Human Rights and Gender Equality’’ i read about how Women’s rights are the fundamental human rights that were enshrined by the United Nations for every human being on the planet nearly 70 years ago. These rights include to live free from violence, slavery, and discrimination; to be educated ; to vote and to earn a fair and equal wage. A famous saying goes “Women’s rights are human rights” meaning, women all around the world are entitled to all of these rights, but yet there are women and girls who are still denied these rights, often simply because of their gender. Winning these rights for women isn’t all, it’s also about changing how countries and communities works and their perspectives on gender equality. Global Fund for Women exists to support the tireless and courageous efforts of women’s groups who work every day to win rights for women and girls. These groups are working to ensure women can own property, vote, run for office, get paid fair wages, and live free from violence – including domestic violence, sexual assault. The Global Fund for Women also stand for other rights that are vital for women’s equality. They stand for a woman’s right to decide if and when she has children, and to have high-quality health

All in all, there is more being done to aid women in their struggles they have are still facing today. With this aid by organization such as the “United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women", there are many benefits that comes with this promotion; however, it is not an excuse to make false

Yet the only difference about a movement for gender equality is that it is not only a domestic threat, but a global one. This makes the task at hand much more daunting. It’s easy to write an essay about a book that expressed the injustices done unto women around the world. It’s easy to inspire a teacher with fancy words for a good grade. But to really spark a change, to really affect someone is not as easy.

The Penguin Atlas of Women in the World by Joni Seager discusses the inequality around the globe with a focus on women with an objection to raise awareness to the public. Eager states “As we enter the 21st century, we need public and civic leaders who will build on these feminist foundations to make unflinching real- not rhetorical- commitments to social justice for women” (Seager 9-10). Seager presents an intriguing idea stating that “leaders” in office must understand the full extent of how serious this issue is; if not, human rights will not be altered. Several women today are not being treated equally. They are harassed and bullied with harsh mental and physical abuse.

Throughout history, there has been a controversial argument on whether female genital mutilation should be banned from Africa. Some people describe female genital mutilation or FGM as a violation of women’s rights and others view it as served for a religious purpose having to do with the Islamic holy book, the Qur’an. Female Genital Mutilation is the removal of all or part of the external parts of the female genitalia. There are three different types of FGM; the first type of FGM is the Sunna Circumcision which is the removal of the tip of the clitoris. The second type is Clitoridectomy which is the removal of the entire clitoris and the adjacent labia. The third type is Infibulation which is the removal of the clitoris and the entire labia including the labia majora and minora. After the removal of the entire labia, the joining of the scraped sides are brought together using thorns or catgut, leaving only a small portion open for menstruation and urinating. Africa has the highest rates of FGM being performed. About 100 million women and girls are affected by FGM and at least 3 million girls are at risk undergoing this process every year. FGM is usually carried out by an elderly woman who is paid fees from the family of the girl undergoing this process (P.a.p.-Blog par. 2, 4). Female Genital Mutilation is usually performed on girl between the ages of three and adulthood. According to the UNICEF or United

100 to 140 million girls and women worldwide are living with the consequences of FGM.

Dissatisfied with the non-enforcement of anti-discrimination laws, NOW had its organizing conference in 1966 with a mission to addressing concerns facing women. Their first course of action was on behalf of flight attendants, contesting protective labor legislation. “NOW’s goals are winning economic equality and securing it with an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that will guarantee equal rights for women; championing abortion rights, reproductive freedom and other women’s health issues; opposing racism and fighting bigotry against lesbians and gays; and ending violence against women” (NOW). “They advocate for gender issues such as job discrimination, livable wages and pay equality, constitutional equality, racial justice and violence against women” (NOW). NOW’s approach to women’s rights can be categorized under the Liberal feminism approach. “They identify many separate factors that contribute to inequality and focus on establishing and protecting equal opportunities through legislation and other democratic means” (p. 325). As a result of exposure from regional conferences, Campus Action networks, lawsuits, lobbying, rallies, marches and public forms of dissents, “NOW has more than 500 local and campus affiliates, in all 50 states and the District of Columbia”

The horrible practice of female circumcision in sections of Africa as summarized in Female Circumcision: Rite of Passage or Violation of Rights? must be stopped. Female circumcision has been exercised for centuries in Africa and is usually performed without any anesthetic by practitioners with insufficient knowledge of human medicine or anatomy. Female genital cutting is a component for preparing adolescent girls for womanhood and marriage. There are three general types of genital excision: clitoridectomy, excision, and infibulation - the severity is in ascending order. Infibulation is the most severe and is “particularly likely to cause long-term health problems” (Althaus 245). Despite the ample amount of risks and health problems, some practitioners view female circumcision as an “integral part of their cultural and ethnic identity, and some perceive it as a religious obligation” (Althaus 243). The cultural practice of female circumcision requires the scrutiny of the West and should be abolished altogether because genital excision is injurious to women's health, has no health benefits, and is a violation of human rights.

On the contrary, it is known to be harmful to girls and women in many ways. First and foremost, it is painful and traumatic. The removal of or damage to healthy, normal genital tissue interferes with the natural functioning of the body and causes several immediate long-term health consequences. For example, babies born to women who have undergone female genital mutilation suffer a higher rate of neonatal death compared with babies born to women who have not undergone the procedure.

Female Genital Mutilation, is a topic which has caused many controversies worldwide. Female Genital Mutilation is a tradition since antiquity, which occurs in twenty eight countries in Africa, and among certain communities in the Middle East, and Asia. The latitude of this issue is massive. The United Nations estimates that this practice has been performed on about 140 million females, who encounter immediate complications of shock, infections, damage to the urethra, scar formation, tetanus, bladder infections, HIV, along with long -term complications that lead to death (Lauren V, 2011). It is estimated that 3 million girls are at risk annually! During this paper, I will discuss in depth the two ethical theories (Deontology and Utilitarianism). These ethical theories will be a guide, to help understand the moral issues of Female Mutilation, and whether one can view female mutilation to be right or wrong. Aside from the ethical theories, I

Female Genital Mutilation is a practice in which external portions of female genitalia are removed for non-medical, cultural reasons. In many countries and cultures, young girls are forced to go through this procedure before getting married, based on the belief that the practice will keep them pure and virgins. This practice, set in place by a patriarchal hegemonic system, controls and decides the lives of any girls in a lot of places. Often times, these lives are ended because the practice is non-medical, not safe, and definitely not even done the right way.

Women's rights are history and our future, from The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) group in 1975 to Michelle Obama and newer leaders today, the changes almost endless. Now women are not just fighting feminist’s rights, women are assisting in international affairs in all sorts of world problems. Solo influences like Emma Watson, First Lady Michelle Obama and Angela Merkel have represented themselves in various address to the government, foreign and international boards, like the president's cabinet, the UN and ambassadors teams.

Imagine this! Being either a young girl or a woman forcefully bound against your will while elders perform a procedure called Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). The young girls and women who are forced to have this procedure done not only loses their rights to sexual pleasure but their rights are sliced, chopped, punctured, and finally burnt away. Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) otherwise known as Female Genital Circumcision (FGC) is also a controversial topic in Western societies. This paper will examine the history of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), hegemonic perspective on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), health consequences of having this procedure done, how Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) affects women’s sexual function, and women who

Additionally, sexual problems associated with female genital mutilation have rarely been documented; this could be one of the reasons why female genital mutilation is hard to stop. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to review two of the few, but very important articles. The studies in the following articles managed to address two major misconceptions that lead societies to practice female genital mutilation. Most importantly, these studies managed to address the implications of female genital mutilation on female sexuality. These studies also managed to get direct information from the victims of female genital mutilation (FGM).