In September, a news article emerged discussing how the Zulu in South Africa continue to practice virginity testing even though it is currently banned by the government. Last year, the South African government banned virginity testing for women under the age of 16, a practice which still causes much debate and which continues to be practiced by many in the country. Every year an annual ceremony is held where adolescent girls are inspected by a group of elderly women before receiving a certificate proclaiming her virginity. This is considered a high honor followed by a celebratory dance for the Zulu king. The Zulus believe that by continuing to perform virginity tests, it is helping to curb teenage pregnancy and the spread of AIDS. They say that it also encourages abstinence, which can prevent a variety of deadly diseases. However, many opponents of virginity testing assert that these tests subject girls to degrading public spectacles and those girls who do not pass can face emotional scarring. They also say that it does not prevent the spread of AIDS because it is still acceptable for the Zulu men to engage in sexual intercourse before marriage.
Another country that has had a similar debate in the past few years is Zimbabwe. Here women are also subjected to a physical examination by a group of elders before they get married. The situation is also similar with proponents of testing saying that it curbs the spread of AIDS and opponents believing that it is degrading and a double standard. An interesting aspect of virginity testing in this country can be seen on the eastern border of Zimbabwe where men must take a test proving they are not HIV positive before they can get married. Although it is not the same thing as a virginity test it is an attempt of trying to reduce the spread of AIDS.
In addition to physical examinations, it is common for many cultures around the world to hold a ceremony after the wedding night to determine if the woman was a virgin by observing whether the wedding sheet had been bloodied or not. This practice was formerly performed in countries such as China, Kenya and the French territory of Mayotte in addition to many others. In China, failure of this test could have been used as grounds for dismissal, divorce or reclamation of bride price. Mayotte and the city of Mombasa in Kenya had similar practices in that there was an intensive ceremony the night of the wedding and the morning after, with many songs and dances celebrating the girl’s virginity. The bride’s mother or grandmother would often display the wedding sheet the following morning accompanied by specific songs and dances. This practice was especially common before the 1970s and has since reduced in popularity.
Another country that has recently had discussions about virginity testing is Indonesia. Last August, a video surfaced at an Indonesian school of two students having sex. The principal of the school proposed having virginity tests for the school’s female students with the belief that it would curb pre-marital sex. However, since many parents viewed the testing as a violation of human rights the proposition was dropped.
Turkey is another country that in the past 15 years has had to confront their practice of virginity testing. In 1992, there were two suicides by high school girls who were forced to get virginity exams. In Turkey, virginity is highly valued and is considered a matter of family honor. It was not uncommon for government officials to force women of all ages to be subjected to virginity exams, especially hospital patients, students and prisoners. When this story became widely known in the early 1990s, there was a great public outcry from around the world for the termination of this practice stating that it was a violation of human rights. After much debate and discussion, Turkey passed a law in February 2002, banning virginity testing.
The concept of virginity testing is not new; it has been practiced for thousands of years by cultures all over the world. However, there is little scientific evidence about the accuracy of these tests. Essentially when testing for virginity, people act on the belief that the woman’s hymen is still intact. The problem with this is that a woman’s hymen can be torn in many ways, and not just by sexual intercourse. Also, it is not universally common for a woman to bleed the first time she has intercourse. Some cultures even use fake blood to give the appearance that the woman was a virgin on her wedding night. Therefore, this is basically a cultural practice and has little, if any, scientific basis. Today this practice is viewed by many to be a violation of human rights, causing conflicts between those who wish to end the practice and those who want to continue the tradition.
References:
Engel, John W. “Marriage in the People's Republic of China: Analysis of a New Law”. Journal of Marriage and the Family, Vol. 46, No. 4 (Nov., 1984), pp. 955-961
Lambek, Michael. “Virgin Marriage and the Autonomy of Women in Mayotte”. Signs, Vol. 9, No. 2 (Winter, 1983), pp. 264-281
Topan, Farouk M. “Vugo: A Virginity Celebration Ceremony among the Swahili of Mombasa”. African Languages and Cultures, Vol. 8, No. 1 (1995), pp. 87-107
No comments:
Post a Comment