9th International Symposium on Circumcision, Genital Integrity, and Human Rights -- Circumcision and HIV/AIDS: Preventative or Panacea?
Thursday, Aug. 24th through Saturday, Aug 26th, at the University of Washington, Seattle. Presenters from around the world will present research and discuss advancements on the subjects of female genital mutilations, male infant circumcision, and HIV/AIDS.
Seattle, WA (PRWEB) August 21, 2006
The Ninth International Symposium on Circumcision, Genital Integrity, and Human Rights will convene Thursday, Aug. 24th through Saturday, Aug 26th, at the University of Washington, Seattle. Presenters from around the world will present research and discuss advancements on the subjects of female genital mutilations and male infant circumcision.
Every year, around the world, 13.3 million boys and 2 million girls have part or all of their external sex organs cut off. These mutilations are rarely regarded or acknowledged as such in the societies where they are performed. Some are mistakenly performing circumcision on themselves or forcibly on others in order to provide protection against the AIDS virus, HIV.
Even in developed nations, the proponents of male and female sexual mutilation defend these mutilations with dubious scientific studies and manipulated statistics and by appeals to custom and tradition. This is especially true with the recent studies promoting circumcision as an HIV/AIDS prophylactic. Doctors, parents, and politicians have been misled into believing these forced genital cuttings are beneficial, necessary, and harmless.
Internationally respected experts in the fields of medicine, science, politics, law, ethics, sociology, anthropology, history, and religion will present the latest research, documentation, and analysis of this worldwide problem.
Upon completion of the symposium, participants will understand the:
delusional psychologies of circumcision and civilization; ethical, political, and legal aspects of genital mutilations; consequences of female genital modifications on global health and sexuality, including using male circumcision as an HIV/AIDS preventative; worldwide efforts to eradicate harmful traditional practices; importance of defining what is sacred; process for resolving circumcision trauma.
The symposium is a project of the National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers (NOCIRC), San Anselmo, California, in cooperation with Doctors Opposing Circumcision (DOC), Seattle, Washington. Other symposiums have been held in Padua, Italy; Sydney, Australia; Oxford, England; and Washington, DC.
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