CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2010
| Author | Simokovic, Lea |
|---|---|
| Title | International Strategies in the Human Rights Movement against Female Genital Cutting |
| Summary | The thesis focuses on the numerous debates positioning around the international involvement in the eradication of female genital cutting practice. On one level, it answers to the stark criticism directed at the international involvement in this eradication movement; on another level, it provides ideas which are relevant for devising the best approaches to fighting this traditional practice. The main questions posed are: were the international human rights actors in the movement fueled by Western ethnocentricity, employing inappropriate approaches towards the local African efforts, as claimed? What kind of international approach would be beneficial rather than detrimental to the local African actors fighting this controversial issue? The paper reassess the role played by the international human rights actors in the fight against female genital cutting through the analysis of past and present efforts of various actors of the movement. In doing so, it refutes the critiques which only focus on cultural insensitivity of the global campaign. The international human rights movement was fragmented; insofar two streams within it employed different type of eradication strategies. Namely, while the formal human rights actors (IGOs) were extremely cautions in their approach hence employing strategies which did not contain elements of coercion, the approach of other, non-formal human rights actors (NGOs) was exactly the opposite. Moreover, while coercion was to a great extent employed by other global actors in the eradication movement, since they are guided by interests other than human rights protection, they must be clearly distinguished from the human rights actors. Additionally, when looking at the more recent efforts between international human rights actors and local actors, which are becoming increasingly cooperative, the appropriate role of the international actors in delicate human rights issues can be identified. |
| Supervisor | Kollonay Lehoczky, Csilla |
| Department | Legal Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2010/simokovic_lea.pdf |
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