Shakira and Gerard Piqué pose for UNICEF
In what is at least an ostensive act of charity, Shakira is using the fact she's pregnant to help raise funds for UNICEF.
It all sounds like a noble good cause, but there's a big reason I will not donate to UNICEF, and others should become aware and refuse to fund them as well.
UNICEF promotes the circumcision of children as HIV prevention policy.
The following is an excerpt from "Children and AIDS: Second Stocktaking Report" pamphlet:
"Young people everywhere need accurate and relevant information about sexual and reproductive health and HIV transmission, as well as opportunities to build risk-reduction skills. They also need access to appropriate HIV prevention services, including voluntary counseling and testing, harm reduction, sexual and reproductive health services, PMTCT and male circumcision, and to commodities including condoms.""Accurate and relevant information" indeed.
Yes, I'm sure "access to male circumcision" is precisely what these children "need."
Currently, UNAIDS is working with the Swaziland Ministry of Health to introduce and scale up neonatal circumcision, this, even though in recent studies, HIV transmission was found to be more prevalent in circumcised males in Swaziland, not to mention other African countries, and countries around the world, and there is absolutely zero evidence that infant circumcision has any effect on HIV transmission.
Another celebrity that is tacitly endorsing male circumcision as HIV transmission is Annie Lennox, not to mention others who sang with her at the Hope Rising! "benefit concert" in Toronto.
I wonder what goes through celebrities' minds when they hop onto charity bandwagons like this.
Is it that they're honestly interested in charity and helping those in need? Or is it merely empty PR projects with the intention of gaining a positive image? (Or an image at all?)
Maybe they actually really mean well, but don't scratch deeper than the surface, and are content with just being associated with "a good cause."
I grew up listening to Shakira, so part of me wants to believe she is actually interested in doing good for children, and not just taking advantage of charity to both boost her image AND announce her pregnancy.
I wonder if any of these celebrities actually look into the causes they decide to champion, or if they merely just hop on for the publicity...
Intactivists Beware
UNICEF promotes the circumcision of children as HIV prevention policy. Do not donate to UNICEF, and discourage others from donating to them, until they make a clear statement that they will not promote male genital mutilation as HIV prevention policy.
Become aware of organizations that promote, finance, or facilitate male genital mutilation cloaked as "HIV prevention strategy" and BOYCOTT them.
Relevant Facebook Page:
Foreign Aid Charities and Orgs: HANDS OFF Children's Penises
Related Articles:
She is indeed well meaning and doing good for the children. She has done so for years, opening schools for low income children and other actions through her non-profit organization Fundación Pies Descalzos (http://www.fundacionpiesdescalzos.com/ ). I don't doubt the authenticity of Shakira's work for the children.
ReplyDeleteAnd particularly, people donating to this UNICEF campaign will have control of how the money is spent as it will go to specific "gifts" selected by the donor.
So yes, I get that UNICEF promotes male circumcision of minors, which we oppose. However this is not what Shakira is promoting with this campaign, and circumcisions are not the totality of UNICEF's work.
UNICEF has been working for the children loooong before Alcena and Fink speculated that circumcision might be used to prevent HIV infection.
You can read here how this campaign is going to work: http://www.unric.org/en/latest-un-buzz/28147-through-online-baby-shower-shakira-and-unicef-raise-awareness-on-child-survival
To each their own, and it is now clear to me Shakira's intentions are sincere. I'm also aware that infant circumcision is a small part of what UNICEF does.
DeleteBut it is a very significant part, and the reason for our cause.
The fact is, though, that UNICEF is promoting the circumcision of infants under the guise of "HIV" prevention.
And whether she is aware of it or not, Shakira is endorsing UNICEF.
At least for me, I will not tolerate such an institution, especially one which is supposed to be working for the welfare of children, promoting the forced genital mutilation of minors, in the very name the well-being of children.
I don't know about anyone else, but I will not donate, and discourage anyone from donating, to UNICEF, or any UNICEF endeavor, until UNICEF issues a statement that they are divorcing themselves from the promotion of male infant genital mutilation.
If Shakira doesn't know, then she needs to get in the know. I don't think I can respect her much if she is indifferent.
dreamer_fla @dreamer_fla
Delete@shakira http://blog.practicalethics.ox.ac.uk/2012/05/when-bad-science-kills-or-how-to-spread-aids/ … #i2 Why the “circumcision solution” to the AIDS epidemic in Africa will increase transmission of HIV
4m dreamer_fla dreamer_fla @dreamer_fla
@shakira la comunidad intactivista quisiera que promovieras la integridad genital de niños así como @UNICEF lo hace con las niñas #i2
15m dreamer_fla dreamer_fla @dreamer_fla
http://www.unicef.org/esaro/5482_7884.html … @shakira la comunidad intactivista #i2 pregunta si estás en desacuerdo con #circumcision de menores q promueve @UNICEF