Var 8e sekund könsstympas en flicka någonstans i världen och idag uppskattas 38’000 flickor och kvinnor som lever i Sverige ha utsatts för ingreppet. I Sverige är socialtjänsten en av de instanser som ansvarar för att möta, skydda och hjälpa dessa flickor och kvinnor - men arbetet med kvinnlig könsstympning har visat sig vara allt annat än lätt. Denna studie syftar till att undersöka socialsekreterares upplevelser av förutsättningarna för att arbeta med frågor som rör kvinnlig könsstympning inom ramen för socialt arbete. Detta genom att ställa frågor som om och hur socialsekreterarna arbetar med kvinnlig könsstympning, vad som anses påverka förutsättningarna med arbetet samt vilka hämmande respektive främjande faktorer socialsekreterarna upplever förekommer i arbetet med dessa frågor. Studien intar en induktiv, kvalitativ ansats och empirin består av intervjuer med socialsekreterare från olika enheter inom socialtjänsten. Empirin analyseras med hjälp av tematisk analys och studiens teoretiska ramverk består av systemteori, organisationsteori samt Foucaults teori om sexualitet. Studien resulterar i tre huvudteman och ett bi-tema vilka bedöms utgöra de mest betydelsefulla förutsättningarna för socialsekreterarna i arbetet med kvinnlig könsstympning. Dessa är kontextuella förutsättningar, kunskap som förutsättning, organisatoriska förutsättningar och det faktum att det rör det kvinnliga könet. / Every 8 seconds, a girl is genitally mutilated somewhere in the world - and today it is estimated that 38,000 girls or women living in Sweden have been subjected to the procedure. In Sweden, the Social Services are one of the agencies responsible for meeting, protecting, and helping these girls and women - but the work with female genital mutilation has proven to be anything but easy. This study aims to examine social workers' experiences of the conditions for working with issues related to female genital mutilation within social work. This is done by asking questions such as whether and how the social secretaries work with female genital mutilation, what is considered to affect the conditions of the work and what inhibiting and promoting factors the social secretaries experience occur in the work with these questions. The study takes an inductive, qualitative approach and the empirical data consists of interviews with social secretaries from various units within the Social Services. The data is analyzed with thematic analysis and the study's theoretical framework consists of systems theory, organizational theory and Foucault's theory of sexuality. The study results in three main themes and one secondary theme, which are perceived to be the most important prerequisites for the social secretaries in the work with female genital mutilation. These are contextual preconditions, knowledge as a precondition, organizational preconditions, and the fact that it regards the female gender.

Beschneidung umfasst einschränkende, genitalverändernde und -normierende Eingriffe. Zu unterscheiden sind unter anderem die Vorhautbeschneidung bei Jungen sowie Genitalbeschneidungen bei Mädchen in christlichen, islamischen und jüdischen Traditionen, medizinisch indizierte Praxen, genitale Schönheitschirurgie und genitalvereinheitlichende Behandlungen intergeschlechtlicher Neugeborener. Letztere sind wie die religiös motivierten Eingriffe Thema anhaltender rechtlicher und ethischer Debatten.

Beschneidung umfasst einschränkende, genitalverändernde und -normierende Eingriffe. Zu unterscheiden sind unter anderem die Vorhautbeschneidung bei Jungen sowie Genitalbeschneidungen bei Mädchen in christlichen, islamischen und jüdischen Traditionen, medizinisch indizierte Praxen, genitale Schönheitschirurgie und genitalvereinheitlichende Behandlungen intergeschlechtlicher Neugeborener. Letztere sind wie die religiös motivierten Eingriffe Thema anhaltender rechtlicher und ethischer Debatten.

South Africa has not escaped the rising prevalence and severe impact of HIV/AIDS in relation women. From an economic and social vantage point, the HIV/AIDS epidemic hits women the hardest, with underprivileged black women the most susceptible to the virus. The theoretical framework of this research focuses on the intersection between HIV/AIDS, gender inequality and gender violence, and more specifically, on certain cultural practices and customs that contribute towards and exacerbate women’s subordination and inequality, which in turn, increase women’s exposure to become infected with HIV. Relevant to this focus is inevitably an investigation of perceived threats to specific fundamental human rights as a result of some entrenched practices that continue to reinforce women’s subordinate position in society, aggravated by the high incidence of gender violence. / Constitutional, International & Indigenous Law / LL.M.

The overall policy goal of education for the Kenyan Government is the provision of education and training to all Kenyans as it is fundamental to the Government’s overall development strategy. This emphasis means that every Kenyan has the right to education and training no matter his/her socio-economic status. The Government has therefore allocated substantial resources and there has been notable achievements attained, but the sector still faces major challenges related to access, equity, and quality amongst others (Session paper no. 1 2005:2). One of these major challenges to access is the existence and persistence of retrogressive traditional practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM).The first concern of this study is that despite the immense awareness of the dangers on the victims in many aspects in life, and efforts to stamp it out, FGM still persists and thrives in many parts of the country to date. Secondly, there is an ever growing gender disparity in Kuria district, whereby women professionals are hard to come by. Even in the teaching profession which is associated with females in Kenya, there are a negligible number of Kuria female teachers. There is therefore need to liberate these girls from the persistent “senseless genital mutilation” by proper and relevant socialization and empowerment against cultural practices. The Cultural Lag theory of sociologist William F. Ogburn (1964) will be the underlying theoretical perspective of this study to explain the phenomenon, focusing explicitly on the / Sociology / DLITT(SOC)

The overall policy goal of education for the Kenyan Government is the provision of education and training to all Kenyans as it is fundamental to the Government’s overall development strategy. This emphasis means that every Kenyan has the right to education and training no matter his/her socio-economic status. The Government has therefore allocated substantial resources and there has been notable achievements attained, but the sector still faces major challenges related to access, equity, and quality amongst others (Session paper no. 1 2005:2). One of these major challenges to access is the existence and persistence of retrogressive traditional practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM).The first concern of this study is that despite the immense awareness of the dangers on the victims in many aspects in life, and efforts to stamp it out, FGM still persists and thrives in many parts of the country to date. Secondly, there is an ever growing gender disparity in Kuria district, whereby women professionals are hard to come by. Even in the teaching profession which is associated with females in Kenya, there are a negligible number of Kuria female teachers. There is therefore need to liberate these girls from the persistent “senseless genital mutilation” by proper and relevant socialization and empowerment against cultural practices. The Cultural Lag theory of sociologist William F. Ogburn (1964) will be the underlying theoretical perspective of this study to explain the phenomenon, focusing explicitly on the / Sociology / DLITT(SOC)

Ľubica Guindon :Universalism of Human Rights in the Light of pluralism of African cultural values The purpose of this thesis is to analyze actual discourse in international law terms about universal or culturally determined characters of human rights. This theoretical problem is introduced with the focus on legal qualification of female circumcision (FC/ FGM ) in international human rights protection. The study goes beyond the scope of international law and reaches cross-disciplinary analysis related to the African context and its cultural, political and social factors. Chapter One addresses the theoretical issues of the notion of human rights, its sources and models in international law. This passage challenges an African approach to human rights bills including a catalogue of individual duties towards family, state and society as a whole. This concern about collective identity of a person within his or her community is a very important feature of African understanding of human rights and human dignity, and can enrich the universal consensus in this field. Within the theoretical issues of the international human rights protection it is necessary to look at the global, regional and local dimension of legal regulation. The most influential strategies on the global level are universal treaties with...

South Africa has not escaped the rising prevalence and severe impact of HIV/AIDS in relation women. From an economic and social vantage point, the HIV/AIDS epidemic hits women the hardest, with underprivileged black women the most susceptible to the virus. The theoretical framework of this research focuses on the intersection between HIV/AIDS, gender inequality and gender violence, and more specifically, on certain cultural practices and customs that contribute towards and exacerbate women’s subordination and inequality, which in turn, increase women’s exposure to become infected with HIV. Relevant to this focus is inevitably an investigation of perceived threats to specific fundamental human rights as a result of some entrenched practices that continue to reinforce women’s subordinate position in society, aggravated by the high incidence of gender violence. / Constitutional, International and Indigenous Law / LL.M.

RÉSUMÉ Au Sénégal, on estime que 28% des femmes sont victimes de MSF et les Diolas sont une des ethnies au Sénégal qui pratique cette tradition. Dans ce mémoire, j’ai l’intention en premier de comprendre et d’interpréter les raisons qui justifient, selon les Diolas, cette pratique par la méthode d’abduction et selon la théorie du néo-institutionnalisme. Mon intention en second lieu est de comprendre les éléments de la prétendue diminution de cette pratique dans certaines zones chez les Diolas. Je veux aussi comprendre le rôle de l’ONG Tostan dans la réduction de ce phénomène. Pour réaliser mon projet d’étude, j’ai fait mon étude de terrain dans deux villages au sud du Sénégal. Le résultat que j’ai obtenu est que les Diolas prennent les MSF comme étant la première phase, c'est-à-dire la première partie du cycle d’initiation d’une femme. Une fille ne peut pas entrer dans la deuxième partie de son cycle d’initiation qui est une partie essentielle pour réussir dans la société Diolas si elle ne passe pas la première partie grâce aux MSF. En plus, j’ai compris que les raisons principales pour justifier cette pratique sont que les Diolas pensent que c’est une recommandation islamique. Donc, la pratique des MSF est venue avec l’islamisation. Après les programmes habituels de Tostan dans les villages, les deux villages de mon étude de cas ont fait leur déclaration publique contre les MSF. Selon les villageoises, dans le premier village, le rôle de Tostan est qu’elle les avait aidées à sensibiliser et à stabiliser le village dans l’abandon de la pratique. Mais il faut souligner que le procès d’abandon avait déjà commencé avant l’arrivée de Tostan. Je trouve qu’il y avait des éléments nécessaires pour cesser la pratique qui a existé dans le village avant l’arrivée de Tostan qui a facilité le choix de vraiment laisser la pratique. Le deuxième village témoigne de l’importance de Tostan et affirme que sans Tostan, le village n’aurait pas abandonné la pratique des MSF. En même temps, il y a des indicateurs qui montrent que tous les habitants du village n’ont pas cessé la pratique. Une remarque inattendue est que la norme féminine est sous transformation. Aujourd’hui, les femmes non excisées sont mieux considérées que les femmes excisées par toute la société dans les villages de cas de cette étude. Une autre observation intéressante est que les villageoises témoignent que les jeunes femmes étaient les plus difficiles à convaincre d’abandonner la MSF contrairement aux femmes plus âgées alors que se sont elles, qui peuvent fondamentalement réclamer d’avoir été préjudiciées a cause de nous au Nord, il est normalement difficile de moduler les différentes traditions à cause des anciennes générations au sein de la société. / An estimated 28% of Senegalese women are victims to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). The Jola tribe in Senegal is one of the ethnics that practice this tradition. In this thesis, I have the intention to interpret and try to understand the reasons the Jolas have to justify this practice. This will be made by an abdication method with the help of the New Institutional Theory. My purpose is furthermore to understand why the practice of FGM has reduced in some Jola-zones. Furthermore, I would like to comprehend the role of the NGO Tostan in the reduction process. To fulfil my intentions, I have made a Minor Field Study of two case studies conducted in two villages in the south of Senegal. The result of this thesis is that the Jolas use FGM as the first phase of the women’s initiation cycle. A girl is not allowed to enter the second phase of her initiation cycle, which is an essential step in order to succeed in the Jolas society, if she has not already passed the first phase. I have understood that the main reason to justify the practice is that the Jolas think that FGM is an Islamic decree. This signifies that the practice of FGM has come to the Jolas with the Islamization. After conducting ordinary programs of Tostan in the villages, both case villages have made an official declaration against FGM. According to the villagers in the first village, the role of Tostan was to help them be aware and stabilise so that they could implement the declaration. It is important to stress that the process of abandoning the practice had already started before the intervention of Tostan in this village. This study shows that there already existed certain important elements in the village that had facilitated the work of Tostan. The second village confirmed the importance of Tostan and affirmed that they would not have abandoned the practice without the intervention of Tostan. On the other hand, I found indications which show that all the habitants of the village have not yet abandoned the practice. One unexpected observation that I achieved to track during my fieldwork is that the female norm is under transformation. Today, the non-circumcised women are considered more attractive than circumcised women. Another interesting observation is that the villagers claimed that it is actually more complicated to convince the younger female generations to abandon the practice of FGM, and not the elder females, which basically can be claimed to be the prejudice we carry with us from the North, when talking about different traditions which are difficult to change because of the old generations in a society.

Do people’s attitudes towards female genital cutting (FGC) change after they migrate from a country where the practice is common, to one where it is not? Alongside increased levels of migration, this question is increasingly being raised. This thesis aimed to expand the understanding about attitudes towards FGC held by Somali men and women in Sweden, and thereby to identify potential factors that impede or facilitate the cessation of FGC. Cross-sectional questionnaire data were collected in four Swedish municipalities to assess attitudes to FGC. To further explore perceptions of FGC, as well as the circumcision of boys, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were conducted. Data were collected in 2015. The findings identified an overall widespread opposition to forms of FGC that cause anatomical change. A majority (78%) expressed an opposition to the continuation of all forms of FGC, with the odds of supporting FGC decreasing with increased years of residency in Sweden. An identified 18% reported a support for the continuation of pricking (FGC type IV). A support of pricking was linked with perceiving it as acceptable according to Islam, not a violation of children’s rights, and not causing long-term health complications. Pricking was not defined as a form of FGC by 32%. Most men described a preference to marry an uncircumcised woman (76%) or one who had had pricking (16%). How the individuals perceived the support of FGC in the Swedish Somali community corresponded well with their own approval of the practice. While there seemed to be a continuity regarding the Swedish Somalis’ core values of being a good Muslim, not inflicting harm, and upholding respectability, re-evaluation of how these are applied when it comes to circumcision of girls and boys was identified. This resulted in FGC being viewed as a practice that could be abandoned or adapted. Paradoxically, based on the same core values, the circumcision of boys was continuously perceived as an unquestionable required practice. Altogether, these results suggest that a shift in convention towards no FGC is taking place. However, the identified lack of consensus on practices regarded as FGC needs further attention.