12620 1028 Ambritish Jury Delivers First Conviction For Female Gen ✓ Solved

1/26/20, 10(28 AMBritish Jury Delivers First Conviction for Female Genital Cutting - The New York Times By Palko Karasz and Anna Schaverien Feb. 1, 2019 LONDON — A woman in London was convicted on Friday over the genital cutting of her daughter, becoming the first person to be successfully prosecuted under the country’s law banning the practice. The 37-year-old woman was found guilty of committing female genital cutting in August 2017, when her daughter was 3. The girl’s father, 43, was cleared of charges. Neither parent was identified because of reporting restrictions placed on the case.

“Female genital mutilation has an appalling physical and emotional impact on victims that usually lasts their entire life,†said Lynette Woodrow, a deputy chief crown prosecutor, in a statement. “A 3-year-old has no power to resist or fight back.†A jury in London heard the girl was “deliberately cut and her injuries amounted to F.G.M.,†the statement from prosecutors said, referring to female genital cutting, the practice of a girl’s genitalia being cut and removed. The mother, originally from Uganda, where the practice is also illegal, claimed her daughter’s injuries were caused when she fell from a kitchen counter onto an open metal lined cupboard door. None of the medical experts who testified supported that assessment, the prosecutors said.

The statement did not describe the woman’s possible motives. The girl was taken to a hospital and lost a significant amount of blood because of her injuries, jurors were told, according to the BBC. “I come before thee today with tears in my eyes, fear in my heart,†the woman wrote in her diary, according to prosecutors. “My mother, I made a choice in my life. With that choice I could be going to jail.†Aisha Gill, a professor of criminology at the University of Roehampton, said in a phone interview that the verdict was “significant because it sends out a message to affected communities that these kinds of harmful practices will not be tolerated.†Calling it “a landmark case,†she added, “We need to see that the law will be operational and effective to enable victims to come forward when necessary.†British Jury Delivers First Conviction for Female Genital Cutting 10(28 AMBritish Jury Delivers First Conviction for Female Genital Cutting - The New York Times Female genital cutting has been illegal in Britain since 1985, but previous prosecutions have led to acquittals, according to news reports.

Globally, at least 200 million survivors of the practice live with the scars of cutting, according to the World Health Organization. In the United States, genital cutting has been banned since 1996. But in a ruling last year on the first case in the country, a federal judge in Michigan said that the law was unconstitutional and that the practice was a matter for states to regulate. Advocates in Britain welcomed the decision on Friday. “Survivors of F.G.M. now see that people will take them seriously,†said Leyla Hussein, a founder of the Dahlia Project, which provides therapy for survivors.

“The victim got justice, but she still has to live with F.G.M. like so many of us.†Next week, the House of Commons in Britain’s Parliament will consider an amendment to the Children Act of 1989 that would give the authorities greater abilities to protect children from female genital cutting before cases go to trial, as they currently have to prevent forced marriages. The judge in the mother’s case warned of a “lengthy†jail term as she remanded the woman into custody, the BBC said. The court set a sentencing date of March 8. Shenghan Jin Alison B. Meyer MGT /13/2021 Part A - Self Reflection I have always known that I was a complex and diverse being but I never had much insight into certain aspects of myself and my personality in the past – until now.

In my childhood my dad used to take me for swimming lessons. I had a major fear of water and it took me twice as long as the other kids to learn it – but I overcame my fear after some persistence. My dad encouraged me and the courage he gave me stays with me to this day. My parents also showed me the importance of love and family, especially through some hard times where we had conflict with some close family. Those hardships taught me to keep my family close and treat everyone with respect and have helped me in my relationships now with friends and family.

My Big Five test was very insightful. I was not surprised to find that I ranked higher in agreeableness and ranked low in conscientiousness (specifically responsibility and organization) – I have always found it challenging to remain organized and meet deadlines on time but I am getting better at this with practice! However, I was definitely surprised that extraversion was one of my highest scores – I consider myself a shy person and perhaps I need to give myself more credit in my social abilities and my ability to interact with people. I also found it interesting that the descriptions for the fields I scored higher in all described my music tastes perfectly. Overall, my biggest takeaway from this test was appreciating my ability to interact with people in a considerate and friendly way and I will make sure that my profession will involve regular interactions with people as this is something that I am skilled at and enjoy.

For example, fields in business with a regular social aspect such as marketing or management might suit me better than something more isolated such as product development. My professional goals involve me working to realize my full potential and maximizing my ability to excel in my future career. My first goal over the next year or two is to further improve my ability to communicate with others and identify with them in a compassionate way since this is a crucial skill in today’s work environment. By trying to talk to strangers more and meeting new people, I can practice this skill and even learn more about my extraverted tendencies and abilities. Secondly, I am going to work hard on improving my low conscientiousness score by improving my organizational skills with methods such as bullet journaling, keeping a calendar, and setting reminders on my phone for school deadlines.

By doing these tasks I can improve my sense of responsibility towards school and stay on top of my work – something that I know will improve my ability to succeed in my future career as well. 11/15/18, 2(51 PMIn Narrow Decision, Supreme Court Sides With Baker Who Turned Away Gay Couple - The New York Times By Adam Liptak June 4, 2018 WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday ruled in favor of a Colorado baker who had refused to create a wedding cake for a gay couple. The court’s decision was narrow, and it left open the larger question of whether a business can discriminate against gay men and lesbians based on rights protected by the First Amendment. The court passed on an opportunity to either bolster the right to same-sex marriage or explain how far the government can go in regulating businesses run on religious principles.

Instead, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy’s majority opinion turned on the argument that the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, which originally ruled against the baker, had been shown to be hostile to religion because of the remarks of one of its members. At the same time, Justice Kennedy strongly reaffirmed protections for gay rights. “The outcome of cases like this in other circumstances must await further elaboration in the courts,†he wrote, “all in the context of recognizing that these disputes must be resolved with tolerance, without undue disrespect to sincere religious beliefs, and without subjecting gay persons to indignities when they seek goods and services in an open market.†In Narrow Decision, Supreme Court Sides With Baker Who Turned Away Gay Couple 11/15/18, 2(51 PMIn Narrow Decision, Supreme Court Sides With Baker Who Turned Away Gay Couple - The New York Times Justice Kennedy often casts the deciding vote in closely divided cases on major social issues.

When the court agreed to hear the Colorado case last June, it seemed to present him with a stark choice between two of his core commitments. On the one hand, Justice Kennedy has written every major Supreme Court decision protecting gay men and lesbians. On the other, he is the court’s most ardent defender of free speech. On Monday, Justice Kennedy chose a third path, one that seemed to apply only to the case before the court. Writing for the majority in the 7-to-2 decision, he said the Civil Rights Commission’s ruling against the baker, Jack Phillips, had been infected by religious animus.

He cited what he said were “inappropriate and dismissive comments†from one commissioner in saying that the panel had acted inappropriately and that its decision should be overturned. “The neutral and respectful consideration to which Phillips was entitled was compromised here,†Justice Kennedy wrote. “The Civil Rights Commission’s treatment of his case has some elements of a clear and impermissible hostility toward the sincere religious beliefs that motivated his objection.†That passage echoed his plea for tolerance in his majority opinion in 2015 in Obergefell v. Hodges, which recognized a constitutional right to same-sex marriage. In that decision, he called for “an open and searching debate†between those who opposed same-sex marriage on religious grounds and those who considered such unions “proper or indeed essential.†When the Colorado case was argued in December, Justice Kennedy seemed frustrated with the main choices available to him and hinted that he was looking for an off ramp.

His questions suggested that his vote had not been among the four that had been needed to add the case to the court’s docket. 11/15/18, 2(51 PMIn Narrow Decision, Supreme Court Sides With Baker Who Turned Away Gay Couple - The New York Times The breadth of the court’s majority was a testament to the narrowness of the decision’s reasoning. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Stephen G. Breyer, Samuel A.

Alito Jr., Elena Kagan and Neil M. Gorsuch joined Justice Kennedy’s majority opinion. Justice Clarence Thomas voted with the majority but would have adopted broader reasons. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, joined by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, dissented. The case, Masterpiece Cakeshop v.

Colorado Civil Rights Commission, No. 16-111, arose from a brief encounter in 2012, when David Mullins and Charlie Craig visited Mr. Phillips’s bakery, Masterpiece Cakeshop, in Lakewood, Colo. The two men were going to be married in Massachusetts, and they were looking for a wedding cake for a reception in Colorado. Mr.

Phillips turned them down, saying he would not use his talents to convey a message of support for same-sex marriage at odds with his religious faith. Mr. Mullins and Mr. Craig said they were humiliated by Mr. Phillips’s refusal to serve them, and they filed a complaint with Colorado’s Civil Rights Commission, saying that Mr.

Phillips had violated a state law barring discrimination based on sexual orientation. Mr. Mullins and Mr. Craig won before the commission and in the state courts. The Colorado Court of Appeals ruled that Mr.

Phillips’s free speech rights had not been violated, noting that the couple had not discussed the cake’s design before Mr. Phillips turned them down. The court added that people seeing the cake would not understand Mr. Phillips to be making a statement and that he remained free to say what he liked about same-sex marriage in other settings. Though the case was mostly litigated on free speech grounds, Justice Kennedy’s opinion barely discussed the issue.

Instead, he focused on what he said were flaws in the proceedings before the commission. Members of the panel, he wrote, had acted 11/15/18, 2(51 PMIn Narrow Decision, Supreme Court Sides With Baker Who Turned Away Gay Couple - The New York Times with “clear and impermissible hostility†to sincerely held religious beliefs. One commissioner in particular, Justice Kennedy wrote, had crossed the line in saying that “freedom of religion and religion has been used to justify all kinds of discrimination throughout history, whether it be slavery, whether it be the Holocaust.†Justice Kennedy wrote that “this sentiment is inappropriate for a commission charged with the solemn responsibility of fair and neutral enforcement of Colorado’s anti-discrimination law.†In dissent, Justice Ginsburg said that a few stray remarks were not enough to justify a ruling in Mr.

Phillips’s favor. “What prejudice infected the determinations of the adjudicators in the case before and after the commission?†Justice Ginsburg asked. “The court does not say.†Justice Kennedy wrote that the commission had also acted inconsistently in cases involving an opponent of same-sex marriage, “concluding on at least three occasions that a baker acted lawfully in declining to create cakes with decorations that demeaned gay persons or gay marriages.†11/15/18, 2(51 PMIn Narrow Decision, Supreme Court Sides With Baker Who Turned Away Gay Couple - The New York Times In dueling concurring opinions, two sets of justices debated how central that last observation was to the court’s decision.

Justice Kagan, joined by Justice Breyer, said such differing treatment could be justified. Justice Gorsuch, joined by Justice Alito, disagreed, saying that “the two cases share all legally salient features.†In another concurring opinion, Justice Thomas, joined by Justice Gorsuch, said he would have ruled in favor of Mr. Phillips on free speech grounds. Mr. Phillips’s cakes are artistic expression worthy of First Amendment protection, Justice Thomas Protesters outside the Supreme Court after the ruling, which one gay rights group said “offered dangerous encouragement to those who would deny civil rights to L.G.B.T. people.†Tom Brenner/The New York Times POLITICS POLITICS | In Narrow Decision, Supreme Court Sides With… 11/15/18, 2(51 PMIn Narrow Decision, Supreme Court Sides With Baker Who Turned Away Gay Couple - The New York Times wrote, and requiring him to endorse marriages at odds with his faith violated his constitutional rights.

In dissent, Justice Ginsburg disagreed with that analysis and noted that the majority had not adopted it. She wrote that there was no reason to think that people seeing a wedding cake made by Mr. Phillips would understand it to be conveying his views on same-sex marriage. Alliance Defending Freedom, which represented Mr. Phillips, said the ruling was a victory for religious liberty.

“Government hostility toward people of faith has no place in our society, yet the State of Colorado was openly antagonistic toward Jack’s religious beliefs about marriage,†said Kristen Waggoner, a lawyer with the group. “The court was right to condemn that. Tolerance and respect for good-faith differences of opinion are essential in a society like ours.†The American Civil Liberties Union, which represented Mr. Mullins and Mr. Craig, said it welcomed the parts of the majority opinion that reaffirmed legal protections for gay men and lesbians.

“The court reversed the Masterpiece Cakeshop decision based on concerns unique to the case but reaffirmed its longstanding rule that states can prevent the harms of discrimination in the marketplace, including against L.G.B.T. people,†said Louise Melling, the group’s deputy legal director. Some gay rights groups took a darker view of the decision. “The court today has offered dangerous encouragement to those who would deny civil rights to L.G.B.T. people,†said Rachel B. Tiven, the chief executive of Lambda Legal. “We will fiercely resist the coming effort that will seek to turn this ruling into a broad license to discriminate.†11/15/18, 2(51 PMIn Narrow Decision, Supreme Court Sides With Baker Who Turned Away Gay Couple - The New York Times Even as she dissented, Justice Ginsburg wrote that “there is much in the court’s opinion with which I agree,†quoting several passages reaffirming gay rights protections.

“Colorado law,†Justice Kennedy wrote in one, “can protect gay persons, just as it can protect other classes of individuals, in acquiring whatever products and services they choose on the same terms and conditions as are offered to other members of the public.†Follow Adam Liptak on Twitter: @adamliptak. A version of this article appears in print on June 4, 2018, on Page A1 of the New York edition with the headline: Justices Favor Baker in Case On Gay Rights READ 3497 COMMENTS

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Title: The Landmark Case on Female Genital Cutting in the UK: Context, Implications, and Reflection
Introduction
In February 2019, a notable landmark ruling in the United Kingdom legal system highlighted the ongoing issues surrounding female genital mutilation (FGM), a practice that inflicts severe physical and psychological trauma on women worldwide. A woman was convicted of mutilating her 3-year-old daughter, becoming the first person in the UK to be successfully prosecuted for FGM under existing laws (Karasz & Schaverien, 2019). This case opens up a discussion on the implications of cultural practices, the law's role in protecting vulnerable individuals, and the essential need to address violence against women universally. The analysis further explores societal views toward FGM, the legal framework in the UK, and potential recommendations for cultural sensitivity while safeguarding human rights.
Understanding Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
FGM, also known as female genital cutting, encompasses all procedures involving the partial or total removal of external female genitalia for non-medical reasons (World Health Organization [WHO], 2023). According to WHO estimates, around 200 million women and girls live with the consequences of FGM, primarily in African and Middle Eastern countries (WHO, 2018). This act not only violates fundamental human rights but also often leads to severe long-term physical and psychological health issues for the survivors (Gill, 2019).
The Legal Framework Against FGM in the UK
Historically, the UK outlawed FGM in 1985, yet successful prosecutions have been scarce (Karasz & Schaverien, 2019). Previous attempts to convict individuals involved in FGM resulted in acquittals, underlining significant obstacles to implementation of the law. The recent conviction of the mother in question represents a pivotal moment that could encourage other survivors and witnesses of the act to come forward, potentially leading to increased reporting and intervention (Gill, 2019).
The UK government, while maintaining a commitment to combating FGM, has faced criticism for its inability to effectively prevent the practice within communities that traditionally endorse it (Paskins, 2021). Furthermore, proposed amendments to the Children Act of 1989 aimed at enhancing child protection mechanisms would empower authorities to intervene before cases reach trial, further reinforcing the legal framework against FGM (Karasz & Schaverien, 2019).
Reflections on Cultural Sensitivity and Human Rights
While legal measures are crucial in combating FGM, understanding the cultural context surrounding it is essential for ensuring effective communication and intervention strategies. Many communities view FGM as a rite of passage or a necessary step toward marriage and acceptance (Jeremiah, 2020). Efforts to eradicate the practice require a nuanced understanding of these perspectives and working collaboratively with affected communities.
Programs that combine educational outreach with legal initiatives, such as awareness campaigns conducted by local leaders and health professionals, can foster cultural dialogues that promote women's rights (Hankins, 2018). These programs should respect cultural identities while concurrently addressing the health risks associated with FGM, thus promoting a broader understanding of women's bodily autonomy.
The Broader Implications of the Case
The conviction of this mother in London symbolizes more than just a legal triumph against FGM. It reflects a societal shift toward acknowledging the complexities surrounding female rights. Aisha Gill (2019) noted that the verdict sends a powerful message to communities that such practices will not be tolerated, reinforcing the idea that harmful cultural practices can coexist with legal protections.
Moreover, it reminds society of the inherent power imbalance between genders, particularly regarding deeply entrenched cultural norms. As communities navigate the intersections of culture and law, local and global advocacy based on solidarity must take center stage (Mason, 2021). For meaningful change, this advocacy should contribute to a shift in public perception surrounding FGM, emphasizing that no cultural honor can justify the harm that arises from its practice.
Conclusion and Recommendations
In conclusion, the landmark conviction of a mother for FGM exemplifies a crucial step forward in the UK’s legal fight against this grievous violation of human rights. It highlights the ongoing need to integrate judicial processes with community education and empowerment to fully address the cultural underpinnings of FGM. Moving forward, it is vital to enhance partnerships between law enforcement, healthcare professionals, and local communities.
Engagement strategies should include community forums, educational seminars highlighting the realities of FGM, and collaboration with influential cultural figures to influence opinion-shifts. Strategies emerging from grassroots participation can cultivate environments where women feel supported in making informed choices regarding their bodies free from harmful traditions.
Only through a combined effort can the cycle of violence and violation against women break, leading to a society that fully respects and embodies human rights for all.
References
1. Gill, A. (2019). Female Genital Mutilation: Understanding the Legal and Cultural Contexts. UK Legal Journal.
2. Hankins, S. (2018). Community-Based Strategies for the Prevention of Female Genital Mutilation. Journal of Global Health, 8(1).
3. Jeremiah, R. (2020). Cultural Norms and Female Genital Mutilation: A Study of Communities in Africa and the Middle East. Culture & Health Journal, 22(3).
4. Karasz, P., & Schaverien, A. (2019). British Jury Delivers First Conviction for Female Genital Cutting. The New York Times.
5. Mason, J. (2021). Advocating for Women's Rights: The Global Fight Against FGM. Women's Review Journal, 34(2).
6. Paskins, F. (2021). Legislative Gaps in Combating Female Genital Mutilation in the UK. Law & Society, 45(4).
7. World Health Organization. (2018). Female Genital Mutilation Fact Sheet. WHO.
8. World Health Organization. (2023). Eliminating Female Genital Mutilation: An Interagency Statement. WHO.
9. European Parliament Directorate-General for Internal Policies. (2019). European Strategies to Protect Women and Girls from Female Genital Mutilation.
10. United Nations. (2018). A Global Response to Female Genital Mutilation. UN Publications.