Montreal, November 25th, 2010 - As part of the “International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women”, Clitoraid invites the public to a silent march to be held Sunday, Nov. 28th in Montreal, Quebec, Ottawa, Vancouver and Toronto. (* see details below).

The United Nations General Assembly, in 1999, designated November 25th the “International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women” (http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/violence) and invited governments, international organizations and non-governmental organizations to organize activities on that day designed to raise public awareness of the problem.

Unfortunately, in the list of acts of violence against women, female genital mutilation (FGM or “cutting”) appears as the most common.

The World Health Organization estimates that worldwide, 100 to 150 million girls and women have undergone female genital mutilation. Each year 2 million more girls are likely to suffer the same fate. Most of them live in 28 African countries, a smaller number in the Middle East and Asian countries. But there are more and more in Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States of America.

In May 2006, in response to those stunning statistics, RAEL, the spiritual leader of the Raelian Movement, founded CLITORAID (www.clitoraid.org) a private non-profit organization whose objective is to raise public awareness of this terrible reality. Clitoraid’s main purpose is to raise funds to help African women, with very limited financial means, undergo surgery towards the reconstruction of their clitoris. This technique, which was scientifically validated by Dr. Foldes (France), currently allows women of all ages who have suffered “cutting”, to regain clitoral pleasure and to feel whole again.

For more information contact our press office, at: 1-877-793-3126
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A “Silent March” will be held in the following Canadian cities

Sunday, November 28th, 2010 :

QUEBEC :
Sunday Nov. 28th - 12:30 pm
Place d'Youville, in front of La Pointe des Amériques.


MONTREAL :
Sunday Nov. 28th - 1:30 pm
Phillips Square park, across from The Bay


OTTAWA :
Sunday Nov. 28th - 12:30 pm
Corner of Rideau and William, on the south side


VANCOUVER :
Sunday Nov. 28th - 1:00 pm
Robson Square, On Robson Street between Howe Street and Hornby Street


TORONTO :
11:00 am (Saturday, November 27th)
Dundas Square, corner of Yonge and Dundas


The public will be invited to make donations to support “cut” women!

Montreal, November 25th, 2010 - As part of the “International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women”, Clitoraid invites the public to a silent march to be held Sunday, Nov. 28th in Montreal, Quebec, Ottawa, Vancouver and Toronto. (* see details below).

The United Nations General Assembly, in 1999, designated November 25th the “International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women” (http://www.un.org/depts/dhl/violence) and invited governments, international organizations and non-governmental organizations to organize activities on that day designed to raise public awareness of the problem.

Unfortunately, in the list of acts of violence against women, female genital mutilation (FGM or “cutting”) appears as the most common.

The World Health Organization estimates that worldwide, 100 to 150 million girls and women have undergone female genital mutilation. Each year 2 million more girls are likely to suffer the same fate. Most of them live in 28 African countries, a smaller number in the Middle East and Asian countries. But there are more and more in Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States of America.

In May 2006, in response to those stunning statistics, RAEL, the spiritual leader of the Raelian Movement, founded CLITORAID (www.clitoraid.org) a private non-profit organization whose objective is to raise public awareness of this terrible reality. Clitoraid’s main purpose is to raise funds to help African women, with very limited financial means, undergo surgery towards the reconstruction of their clitoris. This technique, which was scientifically validated by Dr. Foldes (France), currently allows women of all ages who have suffered “cutting”, to regain clitoral pleasure and to feel whole again.

For more information contact our press office, at: 1-877-793-3126
========================
A “Silent March” will be held in the following Canadian cities

Sunday, November 28th, 2010 :

QUEBEC :
Sunday Nov. 28th - 12:30 pm
Place d'Youville, in front of La Pointe des Amériques.


MONTREAL :
Sunday Nov. 28th - 1:30 pm
Phillips Square park, across from The Bay


OTTAWA :
Sunday Nov. 28th - 12:30 pm
Corner of Rideau and William, on the south side


VANCOUVER :
Sunday Nov. 28th - 1:00 pm
Robson Square, On Robson Street between Howe Street and Hornby Street


TORONTO :
11:00 am (Saturday, November 27th)
Dundas Square, corner of Yonge and Dundas


The public will be invited to make donations to support “cut” women!

by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
"The Daily Beast"


Update: After only a month of criticism—including from Nomad author Ayaan Hirsi Ali, below—the American Academy of Pediatrics has reversed a policy that advised American doctors to give a ceremonial pinprick to girls of immigrant families so that they would avoid seeking a full circumcision.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recently put forward a proposal on female genital mutilation. They would like that American doctors be given permission to perform a ceremonial pinprick or “nick” on girls born into communities that practice female genital mutilation.

Female circumcision is a custom in many African and Asian countries whereby the genitals of a girl child are cut. There are roughly four procedures. First there is the ritual pinprick. This is what Pediatrics refers to as the “nick” option. To give you an idea of what that means, visualize a preteen girl held down by adults. Her clitoris is tweaked so that the circumcizer can hold it between her forefinger and her thumb. Then she takes a needle and pierces it using enough force for it to go into the peak of the clitoris. As soon as it bleeds, the parents and others attending the ceremony cheer, the girl is comforted and the celebrations follow.

There is a more sinister meaning to the word “nick” if you consider the fact that in some cases it means to cut off the peak of the clitoris. Proponents compare “nicking” to the ritual of boy circumcision. But in the case of the boys, it is the foreskin that is all or partly removed and not a part of the penis head. In the case of the girls, the clitoris is actually mutilated.

Then there is the second method whereby a substantial part of the clitoris is removed and the opening of the vagina is sewn together (infibulation). The third variation adds to this the removal of the inner labia.

Finally, there is a procedure whereby as much of the clitoris as possible is removed along with the inner and outer labia. Then the inner walls of the vagina are scraped until they bleed and are then bound with pins or thorns. The tissue on either side grows together, forming a thick scar. Two small openings roughly equal to the diameter of a matchstick are left for urination and menstruation respectively.

Often these operations are done without anesthesia and with tools such as sharp rocks, razor blades, knives or scissors depending on the location, family income, and education. It is thus more accurate as does the World Health Organization to speak of female genital mutilation (FGM) instead of the obscure and positive-sounding “circumcision.”

According to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, more than 130 million women and girls worldwide have undergone some form of female genital cutting.
Some of them sneak their daughters out of the country during the long school summer vacation so that they can be subjected to any one of these forms of FGM.

Congressman Joseph Crowley (D-NY) recently introduced a bill to toughen federal laws by making it a crime to take a girl overseas to be circumcised. He argued, rightly, that FGM serves no medical purpose and is rightfully banned in the U.S.

Following the Aug. 10, 2010, publication of an Associated Press article, "Female circumcision victims seek out Colo. doctor," by Catherine Tsai, Clitoraid and Dr. Marci Bowers MD wish to clarify where donations should be sent and explain Clitoraid's role in the surgical process.

Nowhere in her article did Tsai mention Clitoraid, the parent, non-profit organization Dr. Bowers has been generously volunteering for since 2007. Therefore, the article failed to give a complete picture of the program's international implications. To be clear, Clitoraid (clitoraid.org) offers a humanitarian program to restore damage done by Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in North America, Asia and especially in Africa. Clitoraid is in the final stages of building a hospital in Burkina Faso (West Africa) to treat all FGM victims free of charge. Dr. Bowers will inaugurate the hospital once it is ready.

Donations will go toward the Burkina Faso hospital. It is in that vicinity that the largest number of FGM victims reside and where such surgery represents a two-year salary if the average patient were to pay for it. Clitoraid has been a 501 (c) 3 non profit organization since 2006.
Therefore, circumcised women seeking repair and those making donations should contact Clitoraid at , not Dr. Bowers.

"Clitoraid should be given first consideration when considering a donation of any kind, especially out of respect for our busy staff," Dr. Bowers said, adding that she wants to thank those who have written to her office to make donations following publication of Tsai's article.

It's also important to note that Clitoraid handles all post-surgical sexual therapy care under the guidance of sex therapist Dr. Betty Dodson.

Both Clitoraid and Dr. Bowers' office request that the Associated Press publish this joint statement to properly inform the public about Clitoraid and Dr. Bowers' involvement in this far-reaching, humanitarian endeavor.

Sincerely,

Dr. Brigitte Boisselier, PhD, President of Clitoraid
Dr. Marci Bowers, MD, head Clitoraid Surgeon