Latter-day Saint Life

Elder Holland Speaks Out Against Female Mutilation & Sexual Violence Against Women

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"[V]iolence toward women is not limited to times of war. Instances of female genital mutilation, removal of bodily appendages, and honor killings persist during times of 'peace.' Women also are exploited by pornography, sex trafficking, baby farming, and slavery operations," Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said in his introduction to aspeech he gave on September 11.

Mormon apostle Jeffrey R. Holland may be the first LDS leader ever to mention "female genital mutilation."

In a Sept. 11 speech at a four-day conference in the United Kingdom titled "Religious Persecution: The Driver for Forced Migration," Holland told attendees that sexual attacks do not happen only during war.

"Instances of female genital mutilation, removable [sic] of bodily appendages, and honor killings persist during times of peace," the obviously emotional apostle said, "God knows of [women's] suffering and weeps with them."

The inclusion of female genital mutilation—in which the clitoris is pricked, cut, or even eliminated—startled Chad Emmett, who teaches geography at LDS Church-owned Brigham Young University.

Lead image from Salt Lake Tribune.
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