Female circumcision is a harmful traditional practice that should be regarded as a public health problem in the countries concerned. Concerted efforts on the part of many sectors of society are therefore needed to help abolish the practice, since "tradition diehard".
Public education is the first step in the campaign using all available mass media to highlight the health and social problems that may be caused. The formal education system is also an important means of exposing the hazards of female circumcision. Health workers at various levels of the health care system will play a vital part in bringing public education to the "grass-roots". In particular, educating midwives and traditional birth attendants about the dangers of the practice and enlisting their help in the campaign to abolish female circumcision will be of the utmost importance since these are the people who usually perform the operation: one difficulty is that they are usually financially dependent on the practice for their livelihood. Winning their support in the campaign to eliminate circumcision would be a major step forward.
The role of religious leaders is also extremely important in re-affirming that female circumcision is not demanded by the Islamic faith. Women's group too should be involved in this campaign since the custom is regarded by many societies as a woman's concern.
In the past, laws have been enacted to punish those who practice female circumcision, but these have not proved successful in deterring the custom. It is essential that every community in which female circumcision is prevalent should study the problem carefully and accordingly design a strategy for dealing with it that take into consideration the local situation. It may take a long time to succeed but an urgent effort is needed to put an end to the suffering of millions of women and little girls.
From "The Magazine of the World Health Organization"
Vocabulary:
To deter: dissuader, empêcher.
I. Guided commentary
1) According to the text, what is female circumcision? (2 points)
2) Find in the text solutions to fight female circumcision. (3 points)
3) Explain why the laws enacted to punish the actors of female circumcision failed. (4 points)
4) Are you for or against female circumcision? Justify your answer. (5 points)
II. Translation
Translate into French from
"In the past..." down to "women and little girls". (6 points)