VOA常速英语2008年-Female Genital Mutilation Still Common in Somal

By Cathy Majtenyi
Somaliland
03 March 2008
 

Female genital mutilation, or FGM, is a traditional practice that is performed throughout the Horn of Africa and other parts of the continent. The procedure is often called female circumcision, and it is illegal but still common in the self-declared republic of Somaliland, where health care workers, activists¹ and others are working to end it. Cathy Majtenyi has more for VOA.

As many as 97 percent of girls and women in Somaliland are believed to have undergone the procedure.

It involves cutting some or all of the external genitalia and commonly sewing up the genitalia, leaving a small hole for blood and urine to pass.

It is an ancient practice in Somaliland and throughout the Horn of Africa.

Halimo Elmi Wehliye manages an FGM awareness² project at Care International that aims to convince communities to abandon the practice. She says that there are many reasons why people practice FGM, one being that it is believed to prepare women for marriage, "The reason why they are practicing [is they believe] if women do not circumcise, they become sexually very active - when she goes out she tries to rape³ even the men," says Wehliye. "In order to reduce that sensitivity, [they believe,] we have to remove this kind of organ."

Most women who have undergone FGM experience a wide range of medical problems, including acute bleeding, urinary infections, infertility⁴, complications giving birth and even damage to the baby.

Edna Adan Ismail is the founder⁵ of a maternity⁶ hospital in Somaliland's capital Hargeisa and one of the first health-care professionals to bring the issue of FGM to the world's attention.

She describes what happened to one 12-year-old girl whose opening in her sewn-up genitalia was too small. "The abdomen⁷ was distended⁸. There was abdominal⁹ pain. We did an ultrasound scan [to determine,] 'Is she pregnant? Why is the abdomen distending¹⁰?' Of course, the diagnosis¹¹ was that this young lady had been menstruating and the blood had been collecting inside the body all these months," she explained.

Ismail says a too-small opening can also spell disaster for marital¹² relations.  "They bring the bride to us on her wedding night, hemorrhaging like crazy. We suture. We stop the bleeding. We take care of it. We let her go home," she says. "She's brought back the following night with even more severe hemorrhaging, because the wound that we had sutured and the bleeding points that we had stopped were not given a chance to heal by the husband, who forced himself on this girl."

Activists say that the situation is slowly changing as people talk more and more openly about FGM and the harm it causes, with some women rejecting the practice for themselves or their daughters.

One mother described why she prevented her daughter from undergoing FGM. "I have experienced many problems myself, and my sister died because of FGM. She bled to death," the mother said. "I do not like any forms of FGM. My daughter does not wish to do a practice that goes against the Koran."

Activists say some communities are starting to challenge the practice of FGM.

Care International's Halimo Elmi Wehliye says she and her staff ask communities to describe the complications they experience from FGM and come up with possible solutions. "Most of them, they are saying, 'We have to stop [FGM],' and at the same time some of them are saying, 'We have to at least get centers.' Those who want to continue the practice said, 'We have to train qualified¹³ midwives at least who can use clean materials to prevent HIV or all blood-transmission infections.'"

But Edna Adan Ismail and others say the pace of change is slow, and that girls and women will continue to suffer needlessly until certain traditional attitudes are changed.

1 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

3 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

4 infertility   

n.不肥沃，不毛；不育

参考例句：

• It is the Geneva, Switzerland-based Biotech Company's second recombinant infertility drug. 它是瑞士生物技术公司在日内瓦的公司生产的第二种重组治疗不孕症的药。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术制药疫苗
• Endometritis is a cause of infertility. 子宫内膜炎是不育的原子。 来自辞典例句

5 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

6 maternity   

n.母性，母道，妇产科病房；adj.孕妇的，母性的

参考例句：

• Women workers are entitled to maternity leave with full pay.女工产假期间工资照发。
• Trainee nurses have to work for some weeks in maternity.受训的护士必须在产科病房工作数周。

7 abdomen   

n.腹，下腹(胸部到腿部的部分)

参考例句：

• How to know to there is ascarid inside abdomen?怎样知道肚子里面有蛔虫？
• He was anxious about an off-and-on pain the abdomen.他因时隐时现的腹痛而焦虑。

8 distended   

v.（使）膨胀，肿胀( distend的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• starving children with huge distended bellies 鼓着浮肿肚子的挨饿儿童
• The balloon was distended. 气球已膨胀。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

9 abdominal   

adj.腹（部）的，下腹的；n.腹肌

参考例句：

• The abdominal aorta is normally smaller than the thoracic aorta.腹主动脉一般比胸主动脉小。
• Abdominal tissues sometimes adhere after an operation.手术之后腹部有时会出现粘连。

10 distending   

v.（使）膨胀，肿胀( distend的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Carrie looked at him a moment, her eyes distending. 嘉莉瞪大两眼，看了他一会儿。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

11 diagnosis   

n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断

参考例句：

• His symptoms gave no obvious pointer to a possible diagnosis.他的症状无法作出明确的诊断。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做一次彻底的调查分析。

12 marital   

adj.婚姻的，夫妻的

参考例句：

• Her son had no marital problems.她的儿子没有婚姻问题。
• I regret getting involved with my daughter's marital problems;all its done is to bring trouble about my ears.我后悔干涉我女儿的婚姻问题, 现在我所做的一切将给我带来无穷的烦恼。

13 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。