Clitoraid is a non-profit project started by the Raelian movement to combat

female genital mutilation Female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as female genital cutting, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and female circumcision, is the ritual cutting or removal of some or all of the external female genitalia. The practice is found ...

. The project was started in 2005 or 2006. The Raelian movement sees sexual gratification as a positive thing and Clitoraid has sponsored clitoral reconstruction for African women and sought to build a hospital in

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso (, ; , ff, 𞤄𞤵𞤪𞤳𞤭𞤲𞤢 𞤊𞤢𞤧𞤮, italic=no) is a landlocked country in West Africa with an area of , bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the ...

where they can also receive post-operative instruction in masturbation. Clitoraid has an Adopt a Clitoris sponsorship program, which it has promoted at the

AVN Adult Entertainment Expo AVN may refer to: Medicine * Atrioventricular node, special region of conducting tissue in the heart * Avascular necrosis, medical condition Transport * Air Vanuatu, by ICAO airline code * Avonmouth railway station, UK, by National Rail code C ...

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the List of United States cities by population, 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the U.S. state, state of Neva ...

. In 2010, on the encouragement of sexologist Betty Dodson, the San Francisco-based sex shop chain

Good Vibrations "Good Vibrations" is a song by the American rock music, rock band the Beach Boys that was composed by Brian Wilson with lyrics by Mike Love. It was released as a single on October 10, 1966 and was an immediate critical and commercial hit, toppi ...

pledged financial support to Clitoraid including asking customers to make donations; the company rescinded the offer after protests that the effort was misplaced, especially from Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg, a professor of politics at the

University of San Francisco The University of San Francisco (USF) is a private Jesuit university in San Francisco, California. The university's main campus is located on a setting between the Golden Gate Bridge and Golden Gate Park. The main campus is nicknamed "The ...

. In 2013, Clitoraid designated the week of 6–12 May as "International Clitoris Awareness Week". The 2014 opening of the Kamkaso Hospital or The Pleasure Hospital at

Bobo-Dioulasso Bobo-Dioulasso is a city in Burkina Faso with a population of 904,920 (); it is the second-largest city in the country, after Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso's capital. The name means "home of the Bobo-Dioula". The local Bobo-speaking population ( ...

was delayed by the Burkina Faso Ministry of Health. Clitoraid blamed the Catholic Church. In 2015, in response to a dispute over the circumcision of a four-year-old boy in the US, Clitoraid issued a press release supporting the mother who did not want the circumcision. They also called on the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...

to ban the practice: "Bodily harm is against the

fundamental rights Fundamental rights are a group of rights that have been recognized by a high degree of protection from encroachment. These rights are specifically identified in a constitution, or have been found under due process of law. The United Nations' Susta ...

of all children, and we can't understand when a so-called civilized country such as the United States would allow its male babies to be so readily mutilated legally!"

References

External links

*{{official website, http://www.clitoraid.org/ Activists against female genital mutilation Raëlian practices Circumcision debate Clitoris