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What I would Talk About if I Were a Celebrity: Spousal Rape

Valentine Day is about love, chocolate and kisses.  Mother’s Day is about extravagance, breakfast in bed and Women’s Fellowship service at church. International Women’s Day is about serious issues with dire consequences for millions of women in hundreds of countries. Marital or spousal rape is one.  The first celebration of International Women’s Day occurred on March 19, 1911, 100 years ago. Before this period, employers had their choice whether to hire women and most governments in the world, including the U.S. and Canada, prohibited women from voting. In fact, employers who decided to have anything at all to do with women relegated them to the sweatshop.

Significant progress has been made over the past hundred years but huge challenges remain for the women of today. On this anniversary, a lot has been written by more qualified experts to address some of these challenges women face. If I were a celebrity or a popular figure who people listen to, what I would love to write or talk about would be spousal rape or marital rape which occurs in several African communities and many countries.

Marital rape or spousal rape is an issue that has received very little attention internationally. I want to admit that the first time I heard the term ‘marital rape’, it sounded an oxymoron or a paradox. It was like hearing “useless treasure”, “precious garbage” or “holy dirt”. I asked myself how someone could be raped by her own partner. Isn’t that what the relationship is for?

There are millions of people, some highly educated, some not, who hold the mentality that I had. In many communities in many countries, when a woman (girl or adult) is forcibly made to have sex, it is reported as rape. No problem.  When a husband forcibly pounces on his wife and has sex with her, even when she’s least ready and least expecting it, that’s no news. She’s just the wife. In fact, journalist, don’t even cover it. Marital rape does not get any attention but it happens every single day. In many countries around the world, marital rape is either legal, or illegal but widely tolerated and accepted as a husband’s prerogative.

In a 2008-2009 Kenya Demographic and Health Survey, the report states that “at least 14 percent of married women said their current husband or partner had forced them to have sex in the past year, while another 37 percent had been subjected to sexual violence at some point in their relationship”. That is 14 out of every 100 women surveyed said their husbands had entered them forcibly in one year. And 37 women out of 100, overall! That is nearly 4 out of every 10 women! Again a World Health Organization conducted a study on violence against women in Tajikistan and Turkey. In Tajikistan they surveyed 900 women above the age of 14 and found that 47% of married women reported having been forced to have sex by their husband. In Turkey 35.6% of women had experienced marital rape sometimes and 16.3% often.  How many of these were reported? How many were covered in the evening news? And how many appeared in the local newspaper? Perhaps none. The societies accept these social behaviors and actually women who come out and report these behaviors will be stigmatized. A politician wouldn’t want to waste an ounce of their effort fighting such an irrelevant matter.

As we celebrate the international women’s day, I’ll end this by suggesting a few actions that governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and communities need to take to protect the rights and dignity of women in relationships.

  • Embark on aggressive community campaigns to educate the citizenry on what sexual violence and rape in marriage implies
  • Empower the women to assert their rights and report what they perceive as rape or other forms of sexual violence
  • Enact laws to police marital or spousal rape and related violence
  • Train and provide health care professionals at the hospital who can identify what rape and other sexual violence are, who know what the law is, and how to enforce it and can show the women how to move forward. Since some of these women will eventually end up at the hospital or clinic with lacerations and other ‘fingerprints’ this will be an effective method to identify women who may have been abused.

I wish all women a Happy Women’s Day. Violence against women is violence against civilization.
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Out of Zanzibar Comes the Magic Pill: Love in a Spice

Recently, I was doing a Google search for an Analytical Chemistry article on chromatographic separation when I came across one article that was about the separation of the constituents in nutmeg. One reference led me to the other until I finally stumbled upon one material that I found the most exciting. By this time I had accidentally left the chemistry journal website and browsing through diverse materials; some were good ones and some junk, such as, get one-month prescription of  this and that for free, pay only shipping, and things like that.

Let me give you a brief description of nutmeg before I uncover the strange discovery I stumbled upon.

Nutmeg is the dried kernel of the seeds of an evergreen tree with strong aroma and a (slightly) bitter taste. It was used in the preparations of various medicines in ancient times. Even today it is used widely in pharmaceutical preparations. The oil extracted from the herb is used in liniments, perfumes, hair lotions and as an antispasmodic. It has applications in managing digestive disorders, insomnia, dehydration, skin disorders and common cold.

But the strange use of nutmeg that I came across which interests my scientific curiosity the most is the use as sex-stimulating spice for women who have either lost their passion or could do with a little help. And the exciting this about this secret is that it is the women of Zanzibar, Africa who hold the patent to this life changing magic pill for women.

This material that I landed upon was about STONE TOWN in Zanzibar. According to the material even if there were women Viagra on the market, the women of Stone Town would have nothing to with it because nutmeg plays the exact role in their lives.  Again, in Zanzibar, women attending funerals, weddings and other social functions have no regard for alcohol because they do not need it to let go their inhibition. Their new secret is nutmeg mixed with porridge early in the morning before leaving for the occasion.

There are certain things every woman must have in her purse: A pocket mirror, a pen, a notepad, Aspirin (ibuprofen), lip gloss/ chap-stick, cell phone and the usual feminine products. In Stone Town, a woman attending a wedding or funeral doesn’t care about any of the above-mentioned products. The one thing she must have in her purse is nutmeg.

Stone Town is predominantly an Islamic community (95% Moslems). Alcohol is strongly prohibited by Islam. Nutmeg is not. These women, by the gift of nature, use the nutmeg to fill a big gap that  the prohibition of alcohol leaves in their lives.

There’s Viagra for men but women Viagra is not an everyday prescription yet. The price of nutmeg fluctuates around four dollars per pound. For the average woman, this can sustain her for a couple of days. If the women of Zanzibar can improvise with the ‘magic substance’, it shouldn’t be an Apollo IX scale project for scientist to find something for women.

The only disadvantage mentioned is strong taste of nutmeg, which may make it difficult to consume enough of it to get the desired result. Of course, if the active ingredient is extracted, then only milligrams may be needed to get the ‘high’. Even with the current crude form of the material, the sources say a woman needs no more than two nutmegs to “make her eyes soft,”

I’ve been looking for peer-reviewed scientific articles to substantiate the claims of the women of Zanzibar. I’ve hence come across an experimental study by researchers at the Aligarh Muslim University in India. The team found that nutmeg significantly increased sexual activity of rats. This was established by observing an increase in their “mounting frequency, intromission frequency, intromission latency,” as well as erections, quick flips, long flips and the aggregate of penile reflexes with penile stimulation.”

I’m afraid the women of Zanzibar may be holding the patent to a life-changing substance for women, sex enhancing spice. I am employed at the moment and work in somebody’s laboratory so I can not have the luxury to investigate this for myself experimentally to establish the scientific basics for the nutmeg’ sex boosting power. But when I retire and set up my own laboratory, needless to say, research into nutmegs and other country medicines will be a top priority for me.[ad#justluxe_125x125redtag][ad#Adsense-200by200sq]

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UN and Artists Use Music to Promote Maternal Health in Tanzania

9 February 2011 – The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has teamed up with a group of artists from the United States and Tanzania to raise awareness, through music, on the need to have better maternal health services in the East African nation, where deaths related to childbearing remain a serious challenge.

The collaboration, made possible with the help of the global network of artists known as MDGFive.com, just concluded a three-day music workshop with the production of a song calling for increased attention to maternal health in the country.

Goal number 5 of the eight globally agreed anti-poverty Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) calls for the reduction of maternal mortality deaths by three quarters, and the attainment of universal access to reproductive health services by the target date of 2015.

The music workshop featured MDGFive.com co-founders Emmy-winning filmmaker Lisa Russell and Grammy-winning singer Maya Azucena, and New York’s famous MC Okai, along with a group of Tanzanian stars, including Lady Jay Dee, Mzungu Kichaa, Mrisho Mpoto, FidQ, Sauda and Mama C.

The song produced at the end of the Arts and Advocacy workshop calls on world leaders to pay greater attention to the rights of women and girls, and urges the people of Tanzania to further empower, engage and encourage women as partners in development.

A short documentary film will also be produced featuring interviews with participating artists and maternal health representatives and highlighting the importance of uniting artists and activists around maternal health.

“UNFPA believes that artists have an important role in shaping opinions, informing the public and advocating for positive change,” said Dr. Julitta Onabanjo, UNFPA’s representative in Tanzania.

“While the voices of the marginalized are often not heard, the voices of artists break boundaries and are heard by all, the young and old, community leaders and policy makers, opinion shapers and development practitioners,” she added

UN News

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Female Circumcision or Better, Female Genital Mutilation: It’s not That Sexy

Since the last time we posted a news article from Uganda about female circumcision, there have been 63 visitors to this website from search engines (google, yahoo, bing) searching for information on the practice. I therefore decided to tackle it in detail.

What is Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)?

Female circumcision embraces a host of procedures relating to the partial or or sometimes complete removal of the external female genitalia. Other terms that may be used to mean the same procedure include female genital cutting and female genital mutilation. Clitoridectomy is also used though it is normally used when the procedure specifically refers to the removal of the clitoris, which is almost analogous to the male circumcision. There are about five forms of classification of FGM depending on which parts of the genitalia are removed but such classification is beyond the scope of this essay.

The use of the term mutilation was adopted internationally by the WHO in 1991 after the Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children (IAC) in Addis Ababa.

In adopting the term mutilation, the UN said

The extensive literature on the subject, the support of international organizations, and the emergence of local groups working against the continuation practices appear to suggest that an international consensus has been reached. The terminology used to refer to these surgeries has changed, and the clearly disapproving and powerfully evocative expression of “female genital mutilation” has now all but replaced the possibly inaccurate, but less value-laden term of “female circumcision”.

Why is FGM Practiced?

Different geographic regions undertake or embrace the manipulation of  the female genital organs for diverse reason. These can be cultural, religious or other reasons. Some of the common reasons are listed below:

  • In some communities, FGM is often motivated by expectations of what is considered proper sexual behavior. When virginity is essential before marriage, FGM is believed to reduce a woman’s sexual desire, and hence help her avoid sex before marriage. Again, when the vaginal opening is covered or narrowed as happens in some forms of FGM, the women may often hold the fear of pain at the opening the vagina and may therefore stay away from ‘illegitimate’sex, especially when she’s scared of making that fear known to the man for fear of ridicule.
  • In some societies, what others refer to as FGM is the social convention. Therefore not conforming to it is rather the exception. In this case, even if a group that does not practice the exercise moves into a society that embrace it as a convention, the latter may tend to practice it as well.
  • Moreover, other societies consider FGM as a necessary part of raising a girl appropriately, and essential role in preparing her for maturity and marriage.
  • Then there are cases when FGM is associated with cultural ideals of femininity and humility. These will imply the perception that girls are clean and fully women after removal of body parts that are considered “male” or “unclean”. It is even recorded that in some communities, girls who have not been circumcised will not be permitted to handle food or water that is meant for consumption by  ‘normal people’.
  • The role in religion is propagating this practice is not straight forward. Some argue that FGM is a social custom, not a religious practice. However, in Muslim countries where FGM is practice, some do justify it by a controversial saying ascribed to the Prophet Mohammed that seem to favor sunna circumcision involving minor cutting of the clitoris.  These sayings have not been authoritatively validated. In fact other muslim scholars see other passages in the Quran which imply that the sole purpose of the clitoris is to promote sexual pleasure and hence oppose FGM.

Age at which Procedure is Carried out:

The age the procedure is carried out varies from case to case. In some cases, it is carried out after birth while in other situation it is done some time during the first pregnancy. The majority of cases, however, occur between the ages of four and eight.

Where is FGM practiced?

Even though FGC has been reported in South American and part of Australia, it is predominantly practiced in Africa, parts of the Near East and Southeast Asia. Some literatures suggest the FGM actually started in Africa over 2000 years ago. In Africa 85% of FGM cases consist of Clitoridectomy and 15% of cases consist of infibulations (surgical closure of the labia majora (outer lips of the vulva) by sewing them together to partially seal the vagina, leaving only a small hole for the passage of urine and menstrual blood.

Female circumcision being carried Out on a young girl

The disturbing aspect of the exercise is that the tools used by the ‘mid-wives’ to carry out the procedure usually are not sterilized before or after usage. After the part of the genitalia targeted is removed, in some cases, the child is stitched up and her legs are bound for up to 40 days. The tools used can include any of the following items; broken glass, a tin lid, razor blades, knives, scissors or any other sharp object.

In my next article, I will discuss the prevalence of female genital mutilation, the side effects of the procedure and the international efforts under way to curb the practice.

By the way, would you like to know my views on the procedure? The simple answer is I rather use the term ‘Mutilation’ than ‘Circumcision’. I trust and dream of the day where our societies will leave the clitoris alone.

References:

  • Infidel”, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, 2007, pps 112-113,143, Free Press, ISBN 978-0-7432-8968-9
  • “Infibulation in the Horn of Africa”, Guy Pieters, M.D. and Albert B. Lowenfels, M.D., F.A.C.S., New York State Journal of Medicine, Volume 77, Number 6: Pages 729-31, April 1977. Hosted on Circumcision Information and Resource Pages, cirp.org. Retrieved on May 16, 2007.
  • Al-Qaradawi, Y. (2004, February 7). Islamic ruling on female circumcision. Retrieved March 29, 2006.
  • Green, Fiona J. (2005). “From clitoridectomies to ‘designer vaginas’: The medical construction of heteronormative female bodies and sexuality through female genital cutting”. Sexualities, Evolution & Gender 7: 153. doi:10.1080/14616660500200223.
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Pleasure in Power: Politically Motivated Rape in Zimbabwe

A report from a study vividly describes politically motivated sexual violence against women in Zimbabwe. The violence against the women takes many forms including

  • extreme violence,
  • gang rape and
  • insertion of objects (bottles and sticks) into the vagina.

The aim of the study was to provide a valid and reliable description of cases of politically motivated rape and other violence against women in the African country. It is the first vivid description to come out of Zimbabwe detailing instances of politically motivated rape

Rape Camps in Zimbabwe

Over three-quarters of the women studied were victims of multiple rape, with an average of three rapists per incident. One woman reported a total of 13 perpetrators, and 14 women reported 3 or more perpetrators to their rape. One woman reported 3 separate rape incidences in June 2008 by a total of 13 perpetrators.

Women in the study exhibited high levels of sleeplessness, nightmares, flashbacks, and hopelessness. A third of the women reported these symptoms, which are commonly associated with experiences of trauma. For some, flashbacks are triggered by large gatherings, particularly where political slogans were being chanted while others had recurring nightmares during which they relived the rapes. Traumatic memories may continue for extended periods of time.

The entire report is available here.

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Sex Workers in Umunde Delta State Beat Three Customers Into Coma

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It is reported that commercial sex workers in Umunede Delta State have beaten three customers into a unconsciousness for non-complete payment after several rounds of sex. The report obtained from LEADERSHIP SUNDAY asserts that the irritated prostitutes descended on their customers who were said to have taken Viagra before seeking them out.

The going rate in Umunede, for what is called “daybreak”, is N8,000 to N10,000 depending on what is agreed upon.

The severe beating which took place on the night of January 13th involved Igbo traders travelling from Benin to Onitsha. After being stranded for hours due to a broken down vehicle, the travelers had no option but to seek a place to survive the chilly night.

The traders therefore went into a ‘hotel’ only to discover that all the hotels were brothels filled with sex workers. They were said to have bargained to sleep with a few of them on “daybreak” menu but this was not to be as they tried to elope without paying in full.

Observers say the overly vexed up prostitutes joined hands and released heavy blows on their customers, leaving them with deep-cut wounds. They were taken to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTH) still in heavy bleeding.

The victims’ names were given as Emeka, Nnamdi, and Cornelius who hail from Imo State but live in Benin City where they deal in vehicle spare parts.

Some bystanders confirmed that some of the men were still ‘hard’ are they were receiving the blows on their faces.

While this may appear as entertainment, of course it does entertain, it reveals a major problem that African governments and leaders need to address if we as a people are going to meet the challenges of the millenium development goals. Food for thought.

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Show Us The Women of Power

African movies should portray the 'Black Woman of Power'

I have written a few articles about unfair stereotypes normally associate with Africa and things from Africa. To be fair to the outside world, African cultures play a major role in establishing some of these formulaic conceptions.

One thing that easily comes to mind, and which worries me, is the pigeonhole role normally offered to the woman in  most African movies. It has been a while since I saw an Africa film but the few that I can recollect had the same theme in all of them. The woman was for the most part depicted as the witch, the bitch, the maid, the weak, the evil, the cheated, the abused and others you can think of.  ‘Role model’ roles were few, if any.

Has this changed? If it has, then please, pardon me. If it has not, then it has to change and it has to change fast. Our young girls will be grateful to us if we do.

Media construct our culture, and the media we use to communicate with one another shapes our perception of reality. When young girls see women in movies or read about them in books, they regard these women as lucky individuals, role models, celebrities in today’s slang. In response, they try to be carbon copies of these flattered, lucky individuals. They therefore begin to model what they see. What we show them is possible is what they grow up expecting to accomplish.

African women are the most hardworking among women. They are strong, resilient, and they never quit. It is summed up in the old Nigerian song  “Sweet Mother’

It about time we saw the African woman portrayed as an educated entrepreneur, skillful international diplomat and a war hero. After all, what comes to mind when we think of Yaa Asantewaa?

It is just fair that the women play the ‘other roles’ too. Isn’t it?

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Correction: Give The Women of Africa an Option In Protection

In my article, Anti-HIV/AIDS Campaigns: Give The Women of Africa an Option In Protection

I stated: The main disadvantage of the female condom is that it is three times more expensive than the male condom and therefore beyond the means of women in most African communities where the average income is less than a dollar a day. (The cost of the female condom is between $2.50 -$5.00).

Correction:

The cost of the FC2 Female Condom is around $0.60 for governments and donors and lower with increased volume.  The $2 price is what FC1 costs on the shelf in a retail drug store in the US.  The FC2 was developed to lower the cost of the female condom with intent to increase access to women in Africa. It has same design but different material and different manufacturing process which allows for the significantly lower cost.   

I apologize for mixing these up in the article.

 Thank you,

Kwabena Amponsah-Manager

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