The purpose of this assignment is for you to this critically consider the issue of female genital mutilation (FGM) and the importance of examining this form of VAWG.
In class, we examined areas of the world where FGM is common practice. These countries
include (but are certainly not limited to) Somalia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Djibouti. While
FMG exists in the United States, it does not take place at the same rate as these other
countries. Compared to FGM, other types of violence against women and girls that we discuss
in this class (e.g., intimate partner violence, sexual assault, rape in the military) are more
commonplace in the United States. Yet, we are examining FGM in this course.
Thinking about the articles that you have read about FGM and our class discussions, why should
we care about FGM if it does not affect U.S. women and girls in the same way that it affects
Somalian women or Egyptian women? Why do we spend time in class talking about the
phenomenon that is rare in the U.S.? As you are thinking about this question, it will be helpful
to consider the links between FGM and other types of violence that we see more regularly in
the U.S. Consider Pence’s discussion of the Pillars of Violence and how these four pillars can be
used to explain FGM. That is, while we do not necessarily see FGM in the U.S. as in other
countries, in what ways is the rationale for or causes of this type of violence similar to the
rationale or causes of other types of violence that are more prevalent in the U.S.? In your
paper, please refrain from using the first-person (i.e., “I” statements). The paper should be in
the third-person and should draw upon the research/information about FGM that we have
used in class.
Your paper should be 3-pages, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins. Please use Times New
Roman font. Do not use cover page – simply type your name in the top left corner. Papers must
be typed and proofread.
