Virginity Testing In Africa2

Slideshow Transcript

1. Slide 1: The New Tactics in HIV/AIDS Prevention 1
2. Slide 2: Written & Created By Jamillah Pascal-Peters 2
3. Slide 3: Virginity Testing has been around for years. Its original purpose was to make sure women stayed “Pure” until marriage. 3
4. Slide 4: In Many Countries Virginity Testing has emerged back to surface to help prevent and control the spread of HIV/AIDS. There is much controversy over this matter. The issue is the human rights of women, even when willing to participate. 4
5. Slide 5: Depending on the culture and country where this procedure is performed, Virginity testing is done in different ways. Different cultures, different procedures. 5
6. Slide 6: For example, in India a thread ritual is a form of virginity testing. Also known as the Thread Ceremony or Kukari ki Rasam. Not only is the thread used in some cases to torture women, It is also used to check the intactment of the hymen. 6
7. Slide 7: Where as in other cultures the sheets of a new bride is inspected for blood after intercourse to prove her hymen was broken for the first time.(as seen below) 7
8. Slide 8: The inspection of the hymen is where the vagina is examined to see if it has not been broken prematurely. 8
9. Slide 9: The only problem with this test is that the hymen is a sensitive part of the vagina that can be broken very easily in child play or other physical activities, even with the insertion of tampons 9
10. Slide 10: The figure on the left is a picture of a vagina. Here it shows how sleek and thin the Hymen is. Giving a good example on how easy it can be ruptured 10
11. Slide 11: Those who have been tested and branded as virgins, have decorated their face with colorful dots to show their purity to the world. 11
12. Slide 12: 120,000 South Africans are estimated to die of AIDS related illnesses this year. This is where the old culture and customs of virginity testing has emerged. 12
13. Slide 13: Being tested and labeled a virgin in South Africa can make one proud and very happy. It is a great and positive achievement, and showing that with colorful dots Demonstrates that as well. 13
14. Slide 14: After undergoing the examination and being clarified as a virgin, many women are being attacked and raped. 14
15. Slide 15: Here is an older woman sometimes called a “midwife”, she administering virginity testing. They are from the Zulu tribe in Africa. There are 56 other girls waiting outside for their turn to get tested 15
16. Slide 16: Here is a picture of two of the 56 girls waiting to get tested To the Zulu people, they believe that these customs helps discourage early sexual intercourse and help fight the spread of HIV. 16
17. Slide 17: The Zulu Parliament has banned some of the virginity testing, giving the punishment of 10 years behind bars for violations of these laws. 17
18. Slide 18: The problem with the virginity testing, is that its often inaccurate. Part of the testing procedure is checking for the hymen to be intact. Some girls aren't born with this or may have a physical injury causing it to erupt. 18
19. Slide 19: At the end of the day, Virginity testing has its pros and its cons on whether or not there are any positive outcomes with these procedures. Some believe that a hymen doesn't indicate HIV, giving the virginity testing an irrelevant status 19
20. Slide 20: Sources  http://www.awid.org/go.php?stid=1515  http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=56222  http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/virginitytest.html  http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2006/01/01/2 003286981 20