Posts Tagged ‘Spain’
Written by admin on 06 February 2012
Madrid, Feb 6 (IANS/EFE) In Spain, thousands of African immigrant girls are facing the danger of becoming victims of female genital mutilation, an ancestral practice that sub-Saharan immigrants have brought with them and which several NGOs and public agencies are fighting to eradicate.
Senegalese, Malian and Nigerian girls, among others, are the ones whose traditions include removing the clitoris and vaginal labia as part of the ritualistic passage to adulthood, to maintain good hygiene, keep them chaste and desirable to males, according to their beliefs.
Monday is the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation, a practice internationally recognized as a human rights violation.
According to figures from the World Health Organization, or WHO, every year five million girls suffer the partial removal of their external genitals.
Although no official figures exist for Spain, experts at Barcelona’s Autonomous University calculate that some 10,000 girls are at risk of genital mutilation, all of them originally from one of 27 countries in the world – most of them in the sub-Saharan region – where the practice is widespread.
“When you see a genital mutilation for the first time, you remain in a state of shock,” said Catalonian assistant regional police inspector Rosa Negre, who is heading the operation to eradicate the practice in the northeastern region of Spain.
In charge of the Citizens Attention Unit in Gerona, Negre participated in the drafting of a pioneer action plan coordinating the work of educators and health, police and judicial personnel to protect girls in Spain.
“We’re all devoted to the girls and paying close attention to their progress – doctors, nurses, teachers – insofar as when we suspect a change, we act,” Negre said regarding the functioning of the programme in which last year judicial proceedings were opened against 25 families in Gerona and the possibility of genital mutilation for 36 girls was prevented.
“Threatening (the parents) with the law and jail doesn’t work. You have to convince the mothers and fathers that genital mutilation is bad for the health of their daughters, that it’s an attack on their integrity and that it has deep physical and psychological consequences,” Negre said.
Negre has not only conducted seminars, conferences and discussions, but she has also personally visited the homes of immigrants and gone on vacation with them to their countries of origin along with their daughters.
She urges them to sign a document in which they commit themselves to ensuring that their daughter will return to Spain intact and warning them that the Spanish Criminal Code establishes penalties of between six and 12 years in prison for people found guilty of performing, consenting to or facilitating genital mutilation, even if it is performed outside Spain.
Proof of that is the sentence of six years in prison the Teruel court imposed last November on the father of a girl who was subjected to genital mutilation at the age of eight months in Gambia, a country in which 80 percent of girls are subjected to the practice.
Casilda Velasco, head nurse, professor of nursing and volunteer at Medicus Mundi Andalucia, has worked for 30 years in Africa and knows very well the influence of the older people there.
She recalled the case of a family from Burkina Faso in which the parents had stopped the genital mutilation of their 18-year-old daughter, but one weekend when they returned to their village “the old women of the town took her and did it to her by force”.
“Elderly African women have a great deal of importance and (exert much) social pressure to mutilate the girls, even though they live in Spain,” Bombo N’dir, a Senegalese activist who has lived in Spain for 13 years and is the vice president of the Awareness Team against Female Genital Mutilation, or EQUIS, said.
–IANS/EFE
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Tags: Madrid, Spain
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Written by admin on 05 February 2012
Madrid, Feb 5 (IANS) FC Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola received good news Sunday over the knee injury suffered by midfielder Sergio Busquets.
Busquets had to be carried off the pitch with a deep cut on his right knee just two minutes after being introduced as a second half substitute in Saturday’s 2-1 win at home to Real Sociedad.
Early indications were that the Spain international had suffered a serious problem and that he could be a long term absentee, along with David Villa, Ibrahima Affelay and Andreu Fontas, all of whom will be out for the rest of the season with injury.
However, tests show that Busquet’s injury does not go beyond a cut and that he will be able to play in Wednesday’s Copa del Rey
semifinal Wednesday, Xinhua reported.
“I thought that he had broken his leg,” admitted a relieved Guardiola in his post match press conference.
Tags: Madrid, Spain
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Written by admin on 05 February 2012
Madrid, Feb 5 (IANS) FC Barcelona remained seven points behind Real Madrid in the Spanish Primera Liga after a 2-1 win at home to Real Sociedad.
Barcelona missed several chances, with Lionel Messi surprisingly guilty of wasting opportunities to add to his goal tally, but in the end the Argentinian and youngster Cristian Tello assured Barca are still in the hunt for a fourth successive league title.
With his side still involved in the Copa del Rey, Pep Guardiola took a risk in handing starts to youngsters Jonathan Dos Santos, Tello, Thiago Alcantara and Isaac Cuenca, while resting key players such as Xavi Hernandez, Sergio Busquets and the injured Andres Iniesta, Xinhua reported.
Messi did start, however should have scored twice in the first half but was denied by the heroics of Real Sociedad keeper Claudio Bravo.
Tello celebrated his first start with a goal after just nine minutes, he shrewdly went round the back of the visitors’ defense to sidefoot home.
Messi must have thought he had sealed the points when he finally beat Bravo with a neat lob with 18 minutes remaining to make it 2-0, but a slack pass from Thiago a minute later set up Carlos Vela to bring the visitors back into the match.
Antoine Griezmann had another chance for Real Sociedad, but was again denied by Valdes before Barca regained control. Despite Real Sociedad’s best efforts the visitors were unable to create clear chances to level the game.
Tags: Madrid, Spain
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Written by admin on 05 February 2012
Madrid, Feb 5 (IANS) A 17th-minute header from Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos was enough to give his side a narrow but a crucial 1-0 win away to Getafe in the Spanish Primera Liga.
The win maintains Madrid’s lead at the top of the Liga. Against a side that has been inform of late, Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho chose to start Mesut Ozil, Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.
Even so, it was Getafe who threatened first, with Juan Valera, who had scored against Barcelona earlier in the season, volleying wide after just two minutes, Xinhua reported.
At the other end, Ronaldo headed over the bar after 10 minutes, minutes later Ramos made no mistake as he placed his header from a corner into the back of the Getafe net.
In the second half, Real Madrid were back to their attacking best as Getafe failed to create any clear chances in what were difficult playing conditions.
Ronaldo saw a shot parried after the hour and a minute later Getafe keeper Miguel Angel Moya did well to save a Benzema shot.
However, the second goal never arrived and with 17 minutes remaining as Getafe’s penalty appeal was turned down after a Diego Castro shot hit Pepe’s arm in the Madrid penalty area.
The defender went down clutching his stomach and the referee waved play on, a decision that could be vital when it comes to deciding the title at the end of the season.
Tags: Madrid, Spain
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Written by admin on 03 February 2012
Madrid, Feb 3 (IANS) Real Madrid make the short trip to Getafe Saturday as they look to maintain their seven-point lead at the top of the Spanish Primera Liga football.
Last weekend’s results gave Jose Mourinho’s a comfortable lead over Barcelona, a lead which looks even more impressive bearing in mind they have dropped just 8 points in 20 matches this season.
Getafe has traditionally been a ground where Madrid have struggled and the team coached by Luis Garcia has picked up its form following a poor start to the season, which saw them close to the relegation zone, Xinhua reported.
Getafe have only lost twice in front of their fans and are the only team to have beaten Barcelona in the league, as a result they are a rival Madrid have to take seriously, even though striker Dani Guiza is suspended.
Madrid have been able to rest in midweek as they are no longer playing in the Copa del Rey and Mourinho’s side should be at full strength.
Sami Khedira is still recovering from an ankle injury and will miss out, but Xabi Alonso looks to have shaken off the effects of a groin strain, while Marcelo has also recovered from a muscle problem he suffered in last Saturday’s easy win at home to Zaragoza.
Angel de Maria is the only other doubt after having been sidelined for a month with a thigh problem, but the winger should be able to at least take a place on the bench if Mourinho needs him.
Except for a surprise defeat to Levante and a draw away to Racing Santander, Madrid have been virtually unstoppable on their travels. With home games against those two teams to come over the next fortnight, followed by another short trip to play Rayo Vallecano, Mourinho knows a win in Getafe should set the scene for a clean sweep of points in the coming month.
Tags: Madrid, Spain
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Written by admin on 03 February 2012
Madrid, Feb 3 (IANS) FC Barcelona have a must-win game against Real Sociedad in the Spanish Primera Liga football Saturday.
Barca are already seven points behind league leaders Real madrid and cannot afford to lose more ground.
Barcelona go into the game on the back of a tough Copa del Rey semi-final first leg away to Valencia Wednesday and with little time for the players to recover, they now play a match they have no option other than to win.
Barcelona’s draw in Villarreal last Saturday saw them slip to seven points behind a Real Madrid team that has dropped just eight points all season.
If the gap should open any further at the top of the table, it would be almost impossible for Barca to win the title.
Andres Iniesta, David Villa, Ibrahim Affelay and Andreu Fontas are all injured, while Seydou Keita is still away playing in the African Nations Cup. Guardiola was forced to include three B-team players in his squad Wednesday and will do the same for this weekend.
The only concession that the Barca coach made in the Cup was resting Xavi Hernandez and Dani Alves and they will go straight into Saturday’s team with Thiago Alcantara dropping to the bench along with Isaac Cuenca, who signed a new contract with the club during the week.
Adriano could also get a start with either Gerard Pique or Carlos Puyol rested ahead of the semi-final return leg.
Real Sociedad travel to Barcelona four points above the relegation zone, but on the back of a 5-1 thrashing of Sporting Gijon last weekend, which took the pressure off coach Philippe Montanier after a 0-4 home defeat to Atletico Madrid.
Tags: Madrid, Spain
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