Sweden to battle female genital mutilation with online course

[Rhinodawg]

Source: RT

The Swedish government hopes to fight the rise of female genital mutilation in the country with a nationwide online training course for school and healthcare personnel.

“The phenomenon is increasing in Sweden, due to increased immigration,” Vanja Berggren, associate professor of public health science told newspaper Dagens Nyheter (DN), reported Sweden’s The Local. “It's important that all agencies are educated on the matter.”

Up to 60 cases of genital mutilation among elementary school girls have been discovered in Norrköping in eastern Sweden since March, local media reported last Friday. Among the cases, 28 girls were subjected to the most severe form of genital mutilation.

“When dealing with small children it is necessary to create a dialogue with the family, to inform them that cutting is illegal and that medical complications may arise,” Malin Ahrne, project leader of the assignment said.



Read more: http://rt.com/news/167940-fmg-sweden-online-course/

[Rhinodawg]

1. Sweden's tough decisive answer.

what a joke

[Quantess]

5. I live here, and

I am honestly surprised that they are admitting out loud that it is due to increased immigration. Sweden is more PC than the USA is, and the media really leaves out a lot of details, not just in this case but in general.

There is such a dichotomy and disconnect between the traditional swedish culture which ABHORS the idea of cutting of genitalia, the swedish value of equality (or at least something close), and the swedish desire to not seem racist or judgmental of other cultures.

Of course, swedes ARE judgmental of other cultures! So, this has resulted in a rise in the RW here.

[alp227]

25. Well, it is a fact that immigrants do engage in practices considered taboo by the majority culture.

BUT. There's a difference between reporting facts about immigrants and using them to demonize immigrants. It should be possible to respect immigrants and support multiculturalism while acknowledging things like FGM.

I think the Swedish media is erring on the side of caution to prevent anti-immigrant panic and avoid looking like WorldNetDaily, which shamelessly fosters panic about "black mob violence" in America.

[Rhinodawg]

34. I love Sweden...

or should I say I used to love Sweden.

I have 4 cousins in Sweden and I go over there every few years. Each time my cousins are more and more upset at where Sweden is going.

Youre right...they rarely tell the people what's really going on.

its now called the rape capital of Europe . Freedom of speech is now limited .

And now FGM. I would have hoped for a better response from the government than a computer course. Insanity.

My cousins are talking about leaving as they see no hope .

Sad.

on edit... my 2 female cousins have dyed their hair black from blond.

[davidpdx]

38. I'm curious are you Swedish or American

My mom lived over there for 2 1/2 years (long story) near Gothenberg and I went to visit for two weeks. It is such a beautiful place. I have a Facebook friend who is in Stockholm. I've lived in South Korea for over 10 years.

[Quantess]

40. Both, technically. But on the inside I am more American.

I have lived about 9/10 of my life in the USA.
Göteborg "Gothenburg" is a charming city. I like it better than Stockholm, although Stockholm has more to see. The people are a bit more relaxed and friendly in Gothenburg.

[Rhinodawg]

41. Well.....Not as relaxed as they used to be .

A couple of days ago, a young man was severely wounded in Gothenburg’s 22nd shooting this year. Last year, Gothenburg, a major Swedish city, had 60 shootings, mainly in Muslim-dominated areas.

At 15:30 o’clock on Wednesday afternoon, police tried to take action against a gang of youths in the immigrant-dominated neighborhood of Araby in Växjö. The youths reacted by kicking and punching the police. More youths arrived to the site and attempted to free the young people arrested.

The police were forced to call reinforcement and it required 10-12 policemen to disperse the violent mob. They were also forced to use pepper spray to get some of the young people to calm down. Four teenage youths were arrested on suspicion of including rioting, assaulting a police officer, threat to officer and assisting escape

http://www.jewsnews.co.il/2014/06/10/swedish-police-beaten-up-in-muslim-area/

[Cerridwen]

7. The "joke" would be rt's incomplete reporting...if in fact,

it is incomplete and they didn't report the previous information provided at the time of the discovery. Though, had they in fact reported earlier, it might have been nice to include some of the same information in this article as background info rather than having it appear as though the headline is the entire story. Unfortunately, too many people don't bother to read beyond the headline and so receive skewed information on which they base their, subsequently uninformed or mistaken, opinions.

The lack of information provided in order to arrive at an informed opinion is easily addressed as there are other reports of the official response. I included a couple of those down thread:

"We're working to inform parents that they could face prison..."

edit to fix broken link

[Ash_F]

16. FYI, the US did not outlaw this practice until 2013

The Republicans kept shutting it down.

Sweden outlawed it in 1999.

[leftynyc]

2. How about doing something with some teeth

Perhaps jail for any parent that sends their child "back home" to get butchered?

[Quantess]

3. Or they could also deny asylum and deport them.

Sweden isn't really big on prison.

[leftynyc]

4. How would that work?

Just deny asylum from certain countries? Deportation sounds good but would involve (I guess) forcing all girls to be examined to see if they'd been butchered.

[Cerridwen]

6. "We're working to inform parents that they could face prison..."

[div class = "excerpt"]"We're working to inform parents that they could face prison if they come back and their children have undergone female genital mutilation," said Petra Blom Andersson, student health coordinator in Norrköping, to the newspaper.

From a previous article reporting the initial discovery.

See: Female genital mutilation exposed in Swedish class

<snip to:>

[div class="excerpt" When school breaks up for the summer holidays the risk of being exposed to the surgery increases for many Swedish girls due to the prospect of visits to their parents' home countries.

"We're working to inform parents that they could face prison if they come back and their children have undergone female genital mutilation," said Petra Blom Andersson, student health coordinator in Norrköping, to the newspaper.

Most girls who undergo the procedure are between the ages of 4-14 years, but the operation is also carried out on infants. Teenagers typically suffer a wide range of complications including period pains and headaches and for some it can be very painful to urinate.

There are no established figures detailing the extent of the female genital mutilation in Sweden, or of how many girls are brought to their parents' countries of origin to get it done.

See also: Online course to stop female genital mutilation

<snip to:>

But it is also key to prevent girls from being exposed in the first place.

"When dealing with small children it is necessary to create a dialogue with the family, to inform them that cutting is illegal and that medical complications may arise," Ahrne said.

Ahrne added that the majority of the victims had the procedure done before coming to Sweden, but it does occur that girls are cut while visiting their parents' home countries.

"We do not have any indication that cutting is performed in Sweden, but it is still possible." (more at above link)

[leftynyc]

8. This is bullshit, outreach nonsense

If you don't know butchering your daughter is wrong (and you're not living in some backwoods shithole) by now, there is something very wrong. They need to PUT someone is prison or take their children away - make the price so high nobody would DARE to come to any western country and think they can get away with this.

[Cerridwen]

9. Do you think the mothers were butchered as well?

We can go after the grandparents next.

Then their parents...how far back would you care to go?

Unfortunately, making laws against this is only one step. The rest involves education.

I'd strongly suggest you read up on the flds here in the US and parts of Canada before you go on about "living in some backwoods shithole." Also read up on US based "gay cure" groups allied with major "religious" organizations; also here in the US. If I wanted to spend more time, I'm pretty sure I could come up with quite a bit more coming from the non-"backwoods shithole" that is the good old USA.

Ignorance grows where education is suppressed; "backwoods shithole" or not.

[leftynyc]

10. I don't need the lecture

but thanks anyway. We were talking about immigrants so going on about blaming the grandparents was a waste of your time. I'm talking specifically about making sure those who wish to live in a western country adhere to the laws. It would be nice if education were the answer but that's only a small part of it - if these people are living in Sweden, then they have access to tv, newspapers, internet - they KNOW what they're doing. This is a cultural abomination that effects millions of women (which is why the part of your lecture concerning the few thousand fdls assholes in CO and UT made me simply roll my eyes). If shaming these families doesn't do it, then a lengthy prison sentence is called for, deportations are called for, refusal of entry is called for. There should be ZERO acceptance of "cultural relativism" when it comes to butchering women.

[Cerridwen]

11. You were talking about jail time for the parents. I provided a quote noting

that was an option.

You displayed a rather interesting take on "backwoods shitholes." I responded to that view of where ignorance can grow and occur; in spite of cable, internet, and the oh-so-reliable, media.

My apologies. I thought, "How about doing something with some teeth Perhaps jail for any parent that sends their child "back home" to get butchered?" was addressed by providing a quote in which it shows that the Swedish authorities do consider jail time an option.

I see now that "shaming these families," "lengthy prison sentence(s)", "deportation" and "refusal of entry" is actually what you "called for."

Well, that would definitely keep this atrocity out of Sweden.

[leftynyc]

13. An option that never gets used is useless

I can appreciate the desire to educate but when we're talking about a country in Europe (and not a backwoods village that has no outside influence), education is not the problem. A cultural bias is the problem and it's the parents who are responsible for sending their girls away to get their body's butchered. This should NEVER be allowed and the punishments should be swift and a real deterrent. And if they find this is happening in Sweden (or any other western country), the perpetrators should also be given swift and severe punishment. I mean, can you imagine a doctor - someone who took an oath to do no harm - getting away with this because of a cultural fantasy?

[Ash_F]

15. It has been used in Sweden.

I am not sure how many as of 2014, but this report from 2009 cites two cases. In one a woman received 3 years in prison. In another, a man received 2 years

http://www.uv.es/cefd/17/Johnsdotter.pdf

Read the report for details, and you can see how it can be difficult to discover and prove these cases. In both cases, it was the actions of the children themselves that led to the investigation. Education about FGM is important for the child, but by then it is too late to prevent it. Education of the parents could stop this before it happens


Interestingly, the Swedish law has a "duty to report" suspicion of FGM for all citizens, not just medical professionals and teachers. Something that would be unlikely to pass in America.


I am impressed by what appears to be a concerted effort by the Swedish people to stop this. That effort can affect change for generations moving forward. They have gone farther than our countrymen today would.

[leftynyc]

17. Unfortunately

it would never pass in the US because it would be a clearly discriminating law (or would be portrayed that way in court and I can easily see the ACLU getting involved).

I don't think that's enough time in prison to make a statement but I have found that Europe, on the whole, doesn't use jail time to make a point. I find this crime so atrocious, so disgusting, I would want to see sentences of 20+ years. THAT would make a statement. 2 years reminds me of those who do honor killings and get a token jail sentence so countries can say they don't approve.

[Ash_F]

18. Well that and the Republicans shut down everything

And shut down a similar law until finally relenting in 2013, 14 years after Sweden passed their version.

[leftynyc]

19. What law are you referring to? (n/t)

[Ash_F]

28. The Girls Protection Act

It was never passed, actually. Republicans...you know...

However, Reid was able sneak a provision into the National Defense Authorization Act. Sec 1088 bans the transportation of girls into other countries for the purpose of FGM in 2013.


PS - It never had a "duty to report" so that wasn't the problem.

[leftynyc]

29. Thanks for the info

Just another reason to despise republicans (I can't even imagine what their objection was other than it was something Democrats were for). I think that duty to report part could come into some trouble constitutionally as those targeted could easily claim discrimination. They'd be right but that's hardly the point - this is not happening everywhere - but it would be a problem. That this is still being done in 2014 boggles the mind.

[Skittles]

42. I agree

there needs to be zero tolerance of this religious nuttery - it's disgusting

[pnwmom]

23. FMG is a permanent, devastating physical mutilation -- it's not comparable to "reparative therapy,"

as harmful as it is, or male circumcision, or any other western practice.

[Cerridwen]

24. Did you mean to reply to me?

If you did, I'm confused as to the context. If you didn't...been there, done that.

[pnwmom]

26. I was responding to this:

"Also read up on US based 'gay cure' groups allied with major 'religious' organizations; also here in the US."

"Gay cure" or "reparative therapy," while non-effective and psychologically harmful, isn't comparable to the permanent physical mutilation of FMG.

[Cerridwen]

27. Ah. No wonder I was confused. That wasn't a comparison I made.

I was noting how ignorance can happen even in those places with internet, cable, and other sources of information; not just "backwoods shitholes."

[pnwmom]

32. Well, that is certainly true. The internet is a wonderful place for spreading lies

as well as truths, unfortunately.

[Dreamer Tatum]

14. Gee, I thought the low-key Scandinavian approach to brutal crimes was the model for the world. nt

[LanternWaste]

20. Outside of the half-wit and the idiot, one would imagine even the best model is neither 100% effect.

Outside of the half-wit and the idiot, one would imagine even the best crafted model is neither 100% effective nor efficient.

[Dreamer Tatum]

22. When Anders Breivik went nuts in Norway

Their restraint was widely praised here and held up as a model for the US to follow.

Maybe had he just mutilated genitals instead of merely KILLING scores of people...

[Ash_F]

31. That man is likely to never see freedom again.

I doubt he will be released when the sentence is up. He has still issued threats from prison.

[nomorenomore08]

46. He's still serving life, for all practical purposes.

Unless you're objecting to the lack of a death penalty, I don't really get your point.

[Rhinodawg]

47. Good....he should serve life.

[nomorenomore08]

48. The official "maximum" sentence in Norway is 21 years, but in specific cases one can be held

for longer. I can't imagine Breivik ever getting out, at least not until he's very old and probably has a terminal illness.

[riderinthestorm]

12. This will not work. Until the Swedish government gets tough with jail and/or deportations

An online "educational" blurb certainly won't persuade this community that feels they must mutilate their girls to satisfy religious and/or cultural requirements.

[SunSeeker]

21. This is mysogynistic child abuse that guarantees a lifetime of pain and disability.

Why female genital mutilation is not considered human rights abuse and banned globally is beyond me.

[Quantess]

30. It sure is. It is considered human rights abuse in Sweden,

as it should be.

Anyone who remains doubtful only needs to see what a healed FGM crotch looks like. You will immediately see that the word "mutilation" is almost an understatement.

I recommend a Google Image search: "FGM infibulation"

[Rhinodawg]

33. I looked...

unbelievably disgusting.

I'm glad you didn't post pictures.

[Quantess]

35. No, I wouldn't do that. Too graphic.

The results look freaky and not even human. I would expect a female Grey Alien's crotch might look like that. That sounds disrespectful of me to say, but the cutting and maiming is disrespectful to the human body! It's just an atrocity.

[Liberal_in_LA]

36. good. fight it everywzy possible

[Rhinodawg]

37. huh?

I don't understand your post.

[nomorenomore08]

44. "Fight it every way possible." n/t

[jmowreader]

43. I don't think anyone noticed...

but this training course isn't to show to parents who might want to do this. It's for public employees who need more information than "just tell the parents if they do this shit we'll throw their asses in jail no matter where they had it done."

[nomorenomore08]

45. +1