These are practices and types of behaviours that continue in time and cause harm or physical and psychological suffering to children and adolescents. They are associated to types of violence or are in themselves violent, and are imposed by family members, the community, or by society in general, without the victim’s free and informed consent. They are founded in discrimination based on sex, gender, and age, among other reasons. As a result, they are based on the belief that men and boys are superior to women and girls. These practices are justified in cultural or religious values, customs, or beliefs (CEDAW, CDN, 2014).
Examples of well-documented harmful practices include female genital mutilation, child marriage, polygamy, corporal punishment, and crimes committed in the name of ‘ ‘honour’ (for example, having sex before marriage, rejecting arranged marriage, marrying without the consent of mothers or fathers, committing adultery, requesting a divorce).
Other practices include breast ironing, which consists of repeatedly hitting girls’ breasts during puberty with tools such as hammers, spatulas, or rocks. The objective is to delay their development and provide a supposed protection against sexual violence. Also, virginity tests that entail the unconsented exploration of girls’ and adolescent’s genitals to prove that they have not had sex. Other rites of passage, such as rape, beatings, and public and forced nudity. Abortion and forced sterilization. Also, accusations of witchcraft, tying, scratches, marks with hot objects, tribal marks, body modifications—such as lip plates or neck elongation—or providing too much or too little food to girls, among others.
Evidently, this practice specifically and disproportionately affect girls and women. They are also so rooted in society and are practiced regularly and for long periods of time that they end up being considered legitimate, acceptable, and completely justified.
The Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women establish that harmful practices violate human rights and fundamental freedoms, deny people’s dignity—especially girls and adolescents—and they limit their full participation in society. In addition, they have serious negative consequences on their health, education, and economic situation (CDN, CEDAW, 2014).
These are also called harmful traditional practices. However, some sectors disagree with the use of the word traditional in this expression. They argue that this word is unnecessary because some practices might not be based on tradition, which does not eliminate its harmful or damaging nature.
References:
UNICEF. Prácticas nocivas. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
ACNUR. Comité para la Eliminación de la Discriminación contra la Mujer Comité de los Derechos del Niño Recomendación general núm. 31 del Comité para la Eliminación de la Discriminación contra la Mujer y observación general núm. 18 del Comité de los Derechos del Niño sobre las prácticas nocivas, adoptadas de manera conjunta.
Estado de la Población Mundial 2020. UNFPA. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
Serie de información sobre salud y derechos sexuales y reproductivos. Prácticas nocivas, especialmente el matrimonio forzoso y la mutilación genital femenina. OHCHR.
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