Tag: 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.

How Congress Can Help Women and Girls in Conflict Zones

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

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

Female Genital Mutilation Isn’t Just a Foreign Issue

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.

COVID-19 Threatens Decades of Progress on Gender Equality. This World Children’s Day, We Must Fight Back.

COVID-19 Threatens Decades of Progress on Gender Equality. This World Children’s Day, We Must Fight Back.

COVID-19 has left no one untouched, but it has had an especially pernicious impact on girls—most particularly those from already marginalized communities.

From a dramatic rise in sex trafficking in Malawi, to spiraling rates of sexual violence in India, from subversive restrictions on access to abortion in the U.S. to an increase in teen pregnancy and female genital mutilation in Kenya, it is clear that COVID-19 is an existential threat to gender equality.

An American Mother on Asylum: Trump’s New Rules Would Have Rewritten My Story

An American Mother on Asylum: Trump’s New Rules Would Have Rewritten My Story

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“When we were granted asylum, we were finally able to live in safety and peace.

“My heart sank earlier this month when I learned that other women and girls may not have the same access to safety that we did. The Trump administration wants to make major changes to the rules for asylum law.

“If these rules were in effect when I sought asylum in 2011, I would not have been granted.”

FGM’s #MeToo Moment

One of the reasons FGM persists is that it happens in silence. We need a national conversation that engages all sectors of society. We need to recognize that FGM is child sexual assault. We need the stories of FGM survivors integrated into a more inclusive and intersectional #MeToo movement.