Virginity+Abroad

So Eun Shim ** Virginity Abroad ** Middle Eastern culture still has a strict and conservative perspective on virginity, especially for females; w omen’s losing virginity is not as tolerant as men’s. Traditionally, after the wedding night, women’s virginity was proved by a bloodstained sheet. In modern days, women are asked to provide a ‘virginity certificate’ to their future husbands and their families before the marriage (Farshidi, 2011). According to French Gynecologists, there is a steady increment of Muslim women’s asking for virginity certificates ( [|Sciolino] & Mekhennet, 2008). Not only gynecologists but also the legal forensics service provides virginity tests and certificates too (Frentzen, 2008).
 * Virginity Certificate in Middle Eastern Culture **

In Middle Eastern culture, female virginity is what judges women’s decency and represents family honor. Therefore, unmarried women, who had premarital sex or failed to prove their virginity to others, are criticized, harshly punished, or even physically tormented by their families, husbands and husbands’ families. One of the common punishments is ‘honor killing’ that family members kill their female family members who cannot prove their virginity before the marriage in order to protect family honor. Although killing a person is an undeniable crime, Islamic law is pretty tolerant with it and usually justifies killing female family members who were said to be against their religion or indecent. Recently ‘honor killing’ has been ascending in France, Canada and the United States which accept a huge number of Muslim immigrants compared to other countries (Frentzen, 2008).
 * Punishment for Losing Virginity in Middle Eastern Culture **

Majority of African tradition considers female virginity as representation of family honor and something family members can be proud of, whereas male virginity is out of social interest most times. In the Baganda culture in Uganda, women should give their husbands the pleasure that their husbands are the first men who see their naked bodies. Just the same as Middle Eastern tradition, bloodstained bed sheets should be provided to a senga (paternal aunt) after the wedding night to prove the chastity of the bride. Then, the senga proudly announces the bride’s chastity to the elders.
 * Virginity Tradition in Uganda, Africa **

** Punishment for Losing Virginity in Uganda, Africa ** The punishment for losing virginity is as severe as honor killing; women who could not prove their virginity or had premarital sex are often killed, and their mothers are abandoned from their families and sent away from where they live (Nyakato, 2010).

There is still inhumane tradition of female virginity in India that forces Indian women to choose either life-threatening punishment or losing virginity. In Sansi community, India, there are several traditional inhumane virginity tests which are out of legal boundary to be banned. Because these tests and their being practiced on women are considered as moral issues rather than crime, there is no legal protection for Sansi women from cruel physical abuse.
 * Virginity Tradition in India, Asia **

One of the tests is "Kukari ki Rasam" (thread ritual) that women who failed this virginity test are beaten until they confess their boyfriends names and charged a huge amount of money by husbands’ families. "Paani ki Dheej" (purity by water) is the one that women should hold their breath in water while a person walks one hundred steps. The most modern test is "Agnipariksha" (trial by fire) that the bride should walk holding a piece of hot iron and seven betel leaves and a piece of dough to protect their hands. If their palms are burned, they fail the test and are considered to have had premarital sex (Sharma & Reuters, 2000). There is a steady increment of premarital sex over the world among young people who have conservative cultural family backgrounds. Especially people with Middle Eastern and Asian cultural family backgrounds are having premarital sex more than before. As e migration to the countries with more open culture and modern culture affect on young people’s concepts of virginity and marriage, more young people are having sex before they get married. According to Dr. Hicham, Muslim women, who are grown up in Europe which is more open and less conservative than Middle East, can easily have premarital sex ( [|Sciolino] & Mekhennet, 2008). Iran's National Youth Organization said, despite of Iranian government’s endeavor to decrease the rate of premarital relationships between men and women, the the survey done in 2004 said 55 percent of the 7,000 young men and women had had extramarital sex (Farshidi, 2011). In China, the survey done in 2003 said premarital sex and cohabitation is increasing among young people (“Sex Survey”, 2003). In Egypt, Gynaecologist Rima Khofash said around fifty percentages of both rich and poor young people have premarital sex as high unemployment rate delays the marriage (Sharp, 2005).
 * Increment of Pre **** marital Sex over the World **

While both men and women lose their virginity prior to the marriage at the same time, women are the ones who are usually judged negatively from it. Most of the Iranian educated men said female virginity is unimportant to consider for the marriage, however it turned out that majority of them prefer to marry virgins. When they find their wives are not virgins, they can cancel the marriage as the Iranian law authorizes them to do and are likely to threat, abuse or mistreat their wives (Farshidi, 2011). This applies to Islamic and Muslim males the same. In Egypt, women’s having sex before the marriage and even having babies without being married is impossible to imagine, especially for educated urbanites (Sharp, 2005). Almost sixty percentages of Chinese respondents replied virginity is what they look for from their future spouses ("Sex Survey", 2003).
 * Male Perspective on Female's Losing Virginity over the World **

** Hymenoplasty **

The punishment for losing virginity is so severe, but it is easy to have premarital sex in more open culture. Consequently, there is an increasing number of Islamic and Muslim women who look for hymenoplasty which is a surgery to reattach the hymen in France, Germany, Canada, the United States and also other nations (Frentzen, 2008). More women from Mediterranean, Asian and even African culture which they can be harshly punished and ostracized when their having premarital sex is found ask for the surgery as well (Khatkar, 2008). These women, most of them are the second generation of immigrant families believing in the old tradition of virginity, are given no other options to avoid terrible outcomes but have hymen surgeries. Other than fear of punishment by their family members and social criticism, getting married to men from the same origin is another reason for the surgery. When they try to get married to men who are from the same origin and know their girlfriends are not virgins, it usually ends up with failing to get married (Khatkar, 2008). The traditional belief and custom emphasizing on female virginity forces more women to have hymen surgeries. ** References ** Heather, Sharp. (2005, August 3). Cairo youth break sex taboos. // BBC News. // Retrieved from [|http://news.bbc.co.uk] Khatkar, Perminder. (2008, March 3). Asian Brides ‘Faking Virginity’. // BBC News. //Retrieved from [|http://news.bbc.co.uk] Anonymous. (2003, November 8). Sex survey: Virginity is still important virtue in China. // People’s Daily Online. //Retrieved from [|http://english.peopledaily.com.cn] Sciolino, Elaine. & Mekhennet, Soulad. (2008, June 11). In Europe, Debate Over Islam and Virginity. // The New York Times. // Retrieved from [|http://www.nytimes.com] Farshidi, Negar. (2011, February 5). Virginity Still a Commodity in Iran. Retrieved from [|http://www.pbs.org] Nyakato, Joyce. (2010, May 20). Uganda: How Different Cultures Perceive Virginity. Retrieved from [|http://allafrica.com] Frentzen, Jeffrey. (2008). The (deadly) serious side of hymenoplasty. (Editor's Message). // Plastic Surgery Products, // 18.8, 8(1). Sharma, Anil. & Reuters. (2000, December 27). INDIAN BRIDES ENDURE TORTURE TO PROVE THEIR //VIRGINITY//; [Chicago Sports Final Edition]. // Chicago //// Tribune. //Pg. 7 Osorio, Carlos. (Photographer). (2008). // An operation to restore virginity is gaining popularity among Muslim women // [Photograph]. Retrieved June 11, 2008, from: []