Female Genital Mutilation

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a procedure that removes or injures part or all of external female genital organs. It is more commonly performed on girls under the age of 15 and is currently practiced on every continent except Antarctica—including in the U.S.

Female Genital Mutilation in Infancy Still Common, Gambian Mothers Say

PUBLISHED 9/13/2025 by

Hulay Damba, 55, spent years performing female genital mutilation on girls in her community. Her role as a practitioner was passed down from her grandmother. “It was what I was taught,” she explained. 

Despite years of steady advocacy in the Gambia, rates of female genital mutilation remain high, even among younger generations. According to 2021 data, almost three quarters of girls aged 15 to 19 have been subjected to female genital mutilation, roughly the same proportion as women a generation older than them (aged 45 to 49). 

Surveys of mothers also show mixed progress: When women with daughters aged 25 and under were asked whether their daughters had been been subjected to female genital mutilation, 54 percent said no. But 22 percent said that their daughters had not only undergone the practice—they had experienced it by their first birthday.

With New DOJ Ruling, Women Fleeing Gender-Related Persecution Will Have an Even Harder Time Winning Asylum

PUBLISHED 7/23/2025 by

In Matter of K-E-S-G-, an asylum case decided by the Board of Immigration Appeals on July 18, Department of Justice officials declared that an abused Salvadoran woman could not obtain asylum based only on the argument that her persecution was based on her gender, in a country that views women as property. The decision is the latest in a 30-year battle over the legitimacy of gender-based asylum claims and closely tracks the first of the Trump administration’s efforts to roll back decisions and policies that recognized the unique role that gender plays in many asylum cases, particularly those involving domestic abuse, sexual violence or trafficking.  

It was already difficult to obtain asylum in the United States. You must demonstrate that you have been or will be persecuted, based on a protected category, and that your own government will not or cannot help you. You must show that your persecutor intended to harm you based on the protected category. You must show that you can’t simply move to another part of your country, and you must provide evidence that your life is in danger if you return home.

“What I desire most is for all women who are fleeing abuse in their country to have their asylum cases heard and to be safe here. The situation right now is dire. The struggle continues. But they have to keep fighting.”

Where There’s Fire, There Are Women Carrying Water

PUBLISHED 7/19/2025 by

The girl I was in Kolkata would not recognize the woman I am today.

I was a girl who noticed everything: the way women’s voices dropped around men, too hot to argue; the way dupattas were carefully wrapped to conceal bare shoulders; the way hair was yanked into tight buns to spare the neck from sweat.

There was heat in the body too, a restlessness, an impatience, a dawning awareness of what it meant to grow into a girl in a world already lined with expectations. Summers were when I first learned to shrink myself.

Decades later, I find myself in a different kind of heat. Not from the sun, but from the headlines: the rage, the lies, the erasure. This is the heat of 2025: Trumpism returned, democracy under siege, rights dismantled. Roe is gone. Truth is a moving target. Rage simmers, thick enough to choke on.

In these moments, I return to those childhood summers. Not just for the discomfort, but for the clarity. Because in heat, everything sharpens. You see what survives. You see what wilts. And you learn how to move through the world without losing your shape.

Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene Dangerously Equates Gender-Affirming Care With Female Genital Mutilation

PUBLISHED 7/7/2025 by

Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene’s misleading bill exploits the fight against female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) to attack lifesaving gender-affirming care and undermine bodily autonomy for all.

This false equivalence is grossly disingenuous, dangerous and extreme. It’s a transphobic ploy to stoke fear and score political points, all while dehumanizing trans people.

When Protecting Girls Is Twisted Into Attacking Trans Youth: FGM/C Survivors Fight Back Against Transphobic Right-Wing Narratives

PUBLISHED 12/4/2024 by

Efforts are underway around the world to ban female genital mutilation/cutting, and 41 U.S. states have laws on the books to address it. 

But the efforts of survivors and activists—and I’m both—have been hamstrung by the current wave of conservative opposition to medical care for trans youth, yet another ugly consequence of the crackdown on rights for transgender Americans. As we try to make sure that girls who are at risk of FGM/C, or who are dealing with the consequences of it, have the protections they need, those who oppose rights for trans people are weaponizing the laws we advocated for to deny trans youth the gender-affirming care they need.

How the World Is Letting Girls Fall Behind

PUBLISHED 10/10/2023 by

The world is letting girls fall behind at an alarming rate. This International Day of the Girl, the world must reassess its commitments to girls everywhere—for a flourishing world and, most importantly, for the individual health, rights and well-being of each girl, no matter what. 

Girls will reach their fullest potential when global governments comprehensively prioritize their education, safety, health and autonomy.

How Congress Can Help Women and Girls in Conflict Zones

PUBLISHED 8/20/2023 by

U.S. foreign policy prevents the protection of refugees, those in conflict zones, and those impacted by natural disasters. Yet the House Appropriations Committee has chosen to pass a budget that will defund the agencies and programs that are most prepared to expertly respond to the needs of girls and women on conflict zones.

It is far past time that Congress passes the Abortion is Healthcare Everywhere Act, which will repeal the Helms Amendment; and the Support UNFPA Funding Act, which would restore funding to UNFPA for the next five years. With the stroke of a pen, the Biden administration also has the power to issue guidance to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on Helms Amendment interpretation, preventing a chilling effect and expanding the agency’s reach.

New U.S. Global Gender-Based Violence Strategy Says All The Right Things—But Action Is Next

PUBLISHED 1/17/2023 by

On Dec. 12, the U.S. government launched its updated and long-awaited Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence Globally. On paper, the strategy looks great. But, as always, the questions we’re left with are: What does the U.S. government do with this document now? How is it implemented? Will funding increase and be sustained?

As the halfway mark of this administration’s current term approaches, we need to ensure that words are backed up with action.

Female Genital Mutilation Isn’t Just a Foreign Issue

PUBLISHED 4/21/2022 by
female genital mutilation

Texas Governor Greg Abbott waded into problematic territory when he called gender-affirming care for transgender minors “mutilation” and “child abuse.” His remarks generated lots of coverage and controversy, as he presumably knew they would. The irresponsible and incorrect use of the term “mutilation” takes attention away from the actual, serious problem of mutilation and cutting in the United States today. 

Worldwide, more than 200 million women and girls have undergone female genital mutilation/cutting. But it’s not just a foreign problem. More than half a million women and girls are either at risk or have undergone FGM/C in the U.S, including 51,000 in Washington, D.C. The U.S. must enact stronger legislation against the practice, while empowering and protecting those who have been subjected to FGM/C.