Sexual politics extends beyond bedroom and campus

Women’s History Month, a month dedicated to highlighting the progress women have made, has… Women’s History Month, a month dedicated to highlighting the progress women have made, has arrived. In recognition of the first day of this month, I’ll discuss the worldwide sexual atrocities experienced by women, in an effort to understand the importance of sexual assertion.

Female genital mutilation is the removal of part, or all, of the female genitalia, specifically the clitoris. This heinous procedure impressed upon women as part of a social tradition is similar to that of a coming-of-age ceremony. The detrimental effects include death, recurring infections and the spread of HIV from reusing instruments.

Although FGM is performed at different ages, which range from shortly after birth to when a woman is first impregnated, it most commonly occurs between the ages of 4 and 8, and the age is dropping. Along with this, 135 million girls have undergone FGM, and each year 2 million — 6,000 girls everyday — are at risk.

Practiced extensively in Africa as an initiation ceremony, FGM also occurs mainly among immigrant communities, in parts of Asia and the Pacific, North and Latin America and Europe.

Similarly to mutilation, rape is another worldwide atrocity women face. Rape has served as a systematic weapon against women and girls. An atrocity that came to light during the late ’80s was that of “comfort women” among the Japanese in World War II.

These women were taken by force and deceptively recruited to provide sex for Japanese soldiers. Once stationed at the locations, they were forced to have sex with typically 20 to 30 men each day, which eventually caused a lot of women to become sterile from the repeated rapes.

Between 80,000 to 200,000 comfort women originated from Korea, though others were recruited or kidnapped from China, the Philippines, Myanmar and Indonesia.

Contemporary instances of rape as a war atrocity can be seen in the institution of “rape camps” in Sarajevo and Sudan. Though the official war has ended, the unofficial war continues against women as they are repeatedly raped in these camps. Though the numbers in Sudan are still being tallied, more than 20,000 Bosnian Muslim women were raped by Serb forces in the early ’90s.

Another subtle form of sexual injustice against women is in the form of “enjo kosai,” which translates to “compensated dating” that takes place in Japan. Enjo kosai is in some ways a euphemism for the world’s oldest occupation.

But the practice is not as simply stated. Unlike the blatancy in the violence associated with rape and FGM, enjo kosai is a practice that teen-age girls willingly participate in, in an effort to maintain the media-presented standard of living.

This involves dating and having sexual intercourse with middle-aged men for money to afford the top designers, cell phones and the freedom to let the girls escape their otherwise mundane lifestyle. In an article posted at Compass Online, writer Karou Fuijiwara quotes a concerned mother referred to as Miss Yamada. She states, “Japan is experiencing a degeneration of morals and ethics after the entire nation had devoted itself to becoming a strong economic power. Children were left to fend for themselves because the adults were too busy making money, and as a result, the teen-agers now are living lives as they please.”

Whether it is against one’s will or by choice as expressed in the recently mentioned examples, one’s interpretation of sexual self-image will always play a role in what people are willing to endure.

Living on a college campus, in most cases, these atrocities are far removed. Yet there are still women who don’t know when to say no and how to say yes to their partners — as opposed to the suspicious men on the street, the government or any other institution that women have little control over.

First, while there is nothing wrong with two consenting adults having casual sex, there is also nothing wrong with making your partner wait if you are not ready for everything that comes along with sex.

In addition, a significant part of the beautiful thing called exploration is learning what you like and dislike. When something is uncomfortable or even painful, communicate that, even if your partner is enjoying him- or herself. Sexual satisfaction should never be at your expense.

E-mail Rose at sex@pittnews.com. And remember: Always, always, always have safe sex.