According to the Swazi Observer, there is a group of women advocating this law, and demanding chiefs cooperate in making sure the law was followed. Men who refused to be circumcised would be fined.
Discussions and lectures were organized by the Swazi Ministry of Health. Apparently Swaziland has a "National Male Circumcision Director." I can't even believe this!
Apparently the women believe that "having all men circumcised would not only help [the men], but the nation at large in that the risks of their wives contracting sexually transmitted diseases would decrease."
What in the WORLD are they feeding these women? Is the Swazi goverment on crack? Don't they know that the studies conflict with reality, and that even if they were 100% accurate, circumcision would not offer women any benefits?
I sense American influence behind this. Perhaps PEPFAR and Bill Gates are frustrated that the much hyped Soka Uncobe campaign is failing to help reach the proposed 80% quota, that now they are twisting Swazi officials arms to get a move on with the mass mutilation campaign?
And they want to do this even though HIV was shown to be more prevalent in circumcised men in this country?
"As Table 14.10 shows, the relationship between HIV prevalence and circumcision status is not in the expected direction. Circumcised men have a slightly higher HIV infection rate than men who are not circumcised (22 percent compared with 20 percent)".
Studies show that circumcision is next to worthless in the fight against HIV. Actually, it's proving to be less than worthless, as it's leading men to believe that they don't have to wear condoms, making the situation worse. The Soka Uncobe campaign was the biggest blunder for the Swazi Ministry of Health because it sent the message that "Circumcise and Conquer" meant once you were circumcised you "conquered" HIV, and you could "conquer" all the women you want.
Circumcision gives men an excuse to be complacent with condoms, which, even if "studies" were correct, outperforms circumcision. And now they want to make circumcision for all the men compulsory?
Precisely what crock have Americans been feeding the men of Swaziland? Or are they simply that gullible?
The day is coming when this drive to mutilate the whole of Africa under the guise of HIV prevention will be seen for the despicable human rights atrocity that it is. Sooner or later America is going to have to be responsible.
How much longer before the world wakes up to this mass genocide being conducted in Africa?
EDIT (added 6-27-2011):
Just imagine. How would this story be reported in the news if it were the opposite? What if officials were pushing for a law that made female circumcision mandatory? What if there were men who wanted their women circumcised? How would that play out?
What if "studies showed" that female circumcision "reduced the risk of HIV" in women? Would American institutions of higher education pay to conduct "studies" to find this out? Would they fly to Africa, circumcise 1000 women and then follow them around to see who got AIDS first? And then use the results to say that "circumcision prevented HIV" in the women who didn't get it? Would they then use these "studies" to pressure the WHO to endorse female circumcision as HIV prevention policy? Would they pressure governments to enact "mass-circumcision campaigns" and compulsory laws?
Why, why, why is this acceptable to do with male circumcision?
Incidentally, "studies show" female circumcision could help "reduce the risk" of HIV here, here, and here. Not to mention that "studies" ALSO show that women who have been circumcised still experience sexual pleasure here and here.
So what are we waiting for! I don't see the WHO, UNAIDS, USAID, PEPFAR etc. getting behind this... Why, they're completely ignoring another "tool" in the fight against AIDS!
(Sorry for the sarcasm...)
Gack. ~ is speechless~ I actually don't know what to say about that because I'm too in shock.
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