***News Release***

 

23 States Still Have No Laws Against Female Genital Mutilation

FGM Isn’t Someone Else’s Problem; Even in the U.S., Women and Girls Still Subject to Horrific Mutilation, and Just 27 States Protect Them

Washington—The perception is that female genital mutilation (FGM) occurs only in other countries, but this barbaric practice shockingly happens right here in the U.S. as well.

The first federal FGM trial is on the docket in Michigan, where three individuals are charged with allegedly mutilating two 7-year-old Somali immigrant girls—assuredly the tip of the iceberg when it comes to those yet to be identified, charged and prosecuted, says Elizabeth Yore, international child advocate and head of the national #EndFGMToday initiative.

“The progress of anti-FGM at the state level has been positive and uplifting, as we see more and more states considering laws to protect women and girls from the emotional and physical damage of female genital mutilation,” Yore said. “The latest is New Hampshire, where Gov. Chris Sununu recently signed a measure to protect girls and women in his state. However, 23 states do not have laws protecting females from this ghastly practice—and that must change. We will be advocating in the new legislative sessions to further protect these girls so they are safe from FGM in all 50 states.”

View a state-by-state map of those who do have anti-FGM laws at EndFGMToday.com. Anti-FGM efforts are underway in several additional states.

Yore noted that female genital mutilation is recognized by both the World Health Organization and the United Nations as a human rights violation perpetrated upon little girls and women. Over 200 million women worldwide have been subjected to this cruel and barbaric practice. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimates that 513,000 girls and women are at risk of FGM in the United States.

Learn more about FGM on social media at #EndFGMToday, as well as efforts in the U.S. to stop it.

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