This session, I am studying international human rights law as one of my law electives. Its what I have always wanted. People ask me what I want to do and I say "I want to be a human rights lawyer." When I was little, the response would be "my my, that's very ambitious!" and laugh. Now, they ask me where i want to work and what I want to specialise in. What I find interesting though, is that my fence sitting is finally coming in handy. We looked last week at the issue of female circumcision. Now on a personal level, I believed that this was wrong. It should never be allowed, and the woman that think they want it are clearly disillusioned. I did however note in the textbook, that while there are definitely elements of it that are unacceptable, it is hardly, if done properly, any worse than having a boob job. A boob job means that you may never be able to breastfeed, you will be permanently scarred, you are disfiguring your natural self. In fact the only difference between the two, is that female circumcision when done in hygienic manner and under civil circumstances is done purely symbolically. It is a deeply religious and significant exercise, that represents the liberation of a woman, and is something which men have little or no input in. When someone has a boob job, it's because they want to look hot. It's purely superficial (in most circumstances). Do I agree with either of these practices, no I do not. Can I see the validity of these practices in todays society? Yes I can.
The bottom line, is that people need to stop making assumptions and judging. We need to rethink what is right and wrong and at least begin to explore the possibility that rights are not necessarily universal. We are all different people, from different cultures, living in different places, and at some point, someone needs to realise this.
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