Harm
Requiring a female to undergo a virginity test is widely seen as harmful, especially when it is performed on behalf of a government. The practice is seen as sexist, perpetuating the notion that sexual intercourse outside of marriage is acceptable for men, but not for women, and suggesting that women's sexual activity should be subject to public knowledge and criticism, while men's should not.
On 23 March 2011, Amnesty International protested to the Egyptian government over alleged forced virginity testing of women protesters. Egypt admitted its military forces had performed virginity tests on women detained during the 2011 Egyptian revolution. It said the tests were carried out in order to refute claims that the women had been raped while in detention. Amnesty International described the virginity tests as "nothing less than torture." Virginity tests done by the military on detainees were banned in Egypt on 27 December 2011, but in March 2012, the physician who carried out the tests was acquitted of all charges. Samira Ibrahim is the Egyptian woman who filed suit against the government, initiating public discussion of the Egyptian government's use of the testing. She said in response to the physician's acquittal, “A woman’s body should not be used as a tool for intimidation, and nobody should have their dignity violated.”
Virginity testing was also used on women entering Britain on a so-called fiancee visa. This practice was exposed by The Guardian in 1979 and the policy was quickly changed. In January 1979, a woman was required by British immigration officers to undergo a virginity test when she arrived in London claiming that she was there to marry. Such a visit did not require a visa, but as proof of her bona fides, she was required to submit to the test.
Examinations to test for previous sexual activity were commonly performed in India on rape victims until they were banned on 29 January 2012. Human Rights Watch had strongly criticized the test as "degrading and unscientific” and a second assault on traumatized women, and raised concerns about Indian courts bringing views of rape victims' general moral character into their rulings.
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Famous quotes containing the word harm:
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