Female Genital Mutilation Essays (1241 words) -

Female Genital Mutilation Female genital mutilation (FGM) is referred to as the removal of part, or all, of the female genitalia. The most severe form is infibulation, otherwise known as pharaonic circumcision. It is estimated that 15% of all FGMs performed in Africa are infibulations. The procedure consists of clitoridectomy (all, or part of, the clitoris is removed), excision (removing all, or part of, the labia minora), and cutting of the labia majora to make raw surfaces, which are stitched together to form a cover over the vagina as they heal. A small hole is left to allow urine and menstrual blood to get out. The majority (85%) of genital mutilations performed in Africa involve a clitoridectomy or excision. The type of mutilation practiced, the age at which it is done, and the way in which it is done differs according to a variety of factors, including the woman or girl's ethnic group, what country they are living in, and their socio-economic status. Female genital mutilation is performed at a variety of ages, ranging from immediately after birth to some time during the first pregnancy, but, most likely, it will be done between the ages of four and eight. According to the World Health Organization, the average age ids declining. This tells us that the practice is no longer associated with the initiation into adulthood. Some girls go through FGM alone, but mutilation is often experienced as a group of, sisters, other close female relatives, or neighbors. When genital mutilation is performed as part of an initiation ceremony, as it is in societies in eastern, central, and western Africa, it is likely to be done on all of the girls in the community who belong to a certain age group. The procedure is done in the girl's home, or the home of a relative or neighbor, in a health center, or, if done as an initiation, at a specially designated spot, such as a tree or river. Performing the procedure is an older woman, a midwife or healer, a barber, or a qualified doctor. Girls going through FGM have different degrees of knowledge about what will happen to them. Sometimes this event is associated with parties and gifts. Usually only women are allowed to attend; girls are urged to be brave. On occasion, a midwife will be around to give a local anesthetic. In some cultures, girls are told to sit in cold water before the procedure, to numb the area and lessen the likelihood of bleeding. However, the most common way to perform this is to use nothing to take away or lessen the pain. The girl is held down, by an older woman, with her legs open. Genital mutilation is performed by using broken glass, a tin lid, scissors, a razor blade, or some other cutting instrument. When infibulation has taken place, thorns or stitches are used to hold the two sides of the labia majora together, and the legs may be held together for up to 40 days. Pates containing herbs, milk, eggs, ashes, or dung may be applied to help with the healing process. The girl may be taken to a special place to recover where, at times, traditional teaching is passed on. It is estimated that 135 million of the world's female population have underdone FGM, and two million girls a year are at risk?about 6,000 a day. It is practice significantly in Africa and is common in some countries in the Middle East; it also occurs in parts of Asia and the Pacific, North and Latin America and Europe, mainly among immigrant communities. Genital mutilation is practiced in more than 28 countries in Africa. There are no figures to date to tell us how common it is in Asia. It has been reported among Muslims in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia, however, not much is known about the practice in these countries. In India, a small Muslim sect performs clitoridectomies. In the Middle East, mutilation is practiced in Egypt, Oman, Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates. There have also been reports of FGM being performed among certain indigenous groups in central and South America. In industrialized countries, female genital mutilation takes place most commonly among immigrants from countries where

Present Progressive vs. Present Participle Verb Forms

Present Progressive vs. Present Participle Verb Forms Though both end in -ing, the present participle form of a verb isnt the same as the present progressive aspect. These terms can be a little confusing, but the verb forms themselves should be familiar: we use them all the time in speaking and writing. What They Are What is a present participle?The present participle is a verb form (made by adding -ing to the base) that can do the job of an adjective: Carl signed up for the singing competition.  (Note that singing modifies the noun competition.)   But wait,  as the infomercials say:  theres more that it can do! What is the present progressive aspect?The present progressive aspect is a  verb  construction made up of a present form of the verb  to be  plus  . . . a  present participle: Carl is singing his heart out.  (Note that the present tense is signaled by is, not by the participle singing.)  The progressive  usually conveys a sense of ongoing action (and is sometimes called the present continuous). What They Do A present participle by itself cant serve as the main verb of a sentence. For instance, Sadie, tapping her cane to the music is incomplete. In this example, tapping begins a present participial phrase that tells us something about the noun Sadie. One way to make this word group into a sentence is by adding a subject  (I) and a predicate  (remember): I remember Sadie, tapping her cane to the music.  But theres another way to turn this fragment into a complete sentence. A verb in the present progressive aspect may itself serve as the predicate of a sentence: Sadie is tapping her cane to the music. As weve seen, the present progressive is used for continuing activities- that is, for actions taking place at the moment of speaking and for actions that go on for a short period of time. A Quick Review We could easily have a sentence that contains both a present participial phrase (tapping her cane to the music) and a main verb in the present progressive (is singing): Tapping her cane to the music, Sadie is singing loudly and out of key. In this sentence, tapping is a present participle (unaccompanied by a form of the verb to be) while is singing (a form of the verb to be plus a present participle) serves as the main verb in the present progressive aspect. A Little Practice For each of the sentences below, decide if the -ing word is simply a present participle serving as an adjective or part of a present progressive construction. Youll find the answers at the end of the exercise. The clown is crying.The children laugh at the crying clown.A flying squirrel landed on the porch rail.Stray dogs are barking tonight, and the Rowland boy is lighting firecrackers.Our neighbors barking dog keeps us awake at night.  The Hendersons are moving to the mountains of Washington state.Happiness, Kinky said, is a moving target: were not happy until youre not happy. Answers: 1. present progressive (is crying); 2. present participle (crying clown); 3. present participle (flying squirrel); 4. present progressive (are barking and is lighting); 5. present participle (barking dog); 6. present progressive (are moving); 7. present participle (moving target)