Comprehensive Legal Protection Needed Against Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting in Every US State
Despite female genital mutilation and cutting (FGM/C) affecting at least 513,000 women and girls across the United States, nine states have yet to pass any specific laws against this harmful practice. While 41 states have introduced laws on FGM/C, legal protections vary considerably between states, and many need their legislation strengthened and better implemented.
To help close the gaps, the US End FGM/C Network has partnered with the international women’s rights organization Equality Now to co-create an interactive map that details at a state-by-state level what key legal provisions currently exist regarding FGM/C. In addition, the map provides the latest available data on the number of women and girls impacted by FGM/C in every state.
The Network is also launching a new publication titled ‘Training Manual for Legal Professionals on FGM/C in the US.’ This comprehensive resource provides invaluable guidance to lawmakers, legal practitioners, and others in drafting, enacting, and enforcing laws to combat FGM/C. It gives information and analysis on current state and federal laws, case studies, and best practices to foster a holistic and inclusive legal framework.
These two informative new resources are helpful tools for government officials, lawmakers, healthcare professionals, FGM/C survivors, activists, and advocates. The aim is to foster effective legislation against FGM/C in every state, with comprehensive, holistic laws that prioritize the views and needs of survivors and promote prevention without further marginalizing vulnerable communities.
They are being launched by the US End FGM/C Network and Equality Now at a high-profile event they are co-hosting in New York City at the start of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 78).
Sustainable Development Goal 5.3
UNGA brings together world leaders, and high on the agenda will be discussions about what progress has been made towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including target 5.3, which requires every government to take action to “eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation.”
Eradicating FGM/C worldwide by 2030 is one of the commitments that all 193 UN member states agreed to when they signed onto the SDGs in 2015. Eight years on, many countries, including the US, are still not doing enough to protect women and girls.
Caitlin LeMay, Executive Director of US End FGM/C Network, explains, “It is imperative that FGM/C is framed as a global issue, and for that to happen, we need to acknowledge that FGM/C happens here in the United States, too.
“One way that we can acknowledge that FGM/C is a problem in the US that is worthy of visibility and resources is by ensuring that we have comprehensive laws in all 50 states and the District of Columbia that will promote the prevention of FGM/C as well as providing the necessary support to survivors.”
Laws against FGM/C are needed at a state level
Legislation at the state level and its effective implementation are crucial to preventing FGM/C in the US because states have a more direct impact on the lives of people in their jurisdiction; and have a significantly greater capacity to reach the women and girls at risk than at the federal level. States govern the activities of state-run institutions, including law enforcement and courts, healthcare, social services, and other programs, making them the best fit to provide protection.
In New York State alone, over 48,000 women and girls live with or are at risk of undergoing FGM/C — demonstrating the dire need for collective, immediate action. While it is acknowledged that FGM/C happens in some diaspora communities, there is far less awareness about cases of FGM/C being done in predominately white, Christian communities in the US.
It is essential to correct the misconception that FGM/C only happens within immigrant communities and elsewhere in the world. This requires public awareness raising and better collection and aggregation of statistical data on FGM/C at a state and national level. Information needs to be gathered and made publicly available as it is central to motivating authorities to take comprehensive action, and it provides a baseline from which the scale and effectiveness of interventions can be measured.
Jill Thompson, Equality Now’s Regional Representative of North America and the Global Lead on Adolescent Girls says, “The United States government recognizes FGM/C as a grave human rights abuse and a form of violence against women internationally but has not done enough to address this issue in the United States itself.
“Eradication of FGM/C requires a comprehensive, survivor-centered approach, including a strong legal framework, public education, community outreach, stakeholder training, law enforcement, and health services for women and girls living with FGM/C. Eliminating it is a critical component of SDG 5 — achieving gender equality. But we can’t expect other countries to end FGM/C if we aren’t making every effort to end it within the United States as well.”
About: Equality Now is an international human rights organization that works to protect and promote the rights of women and girls around the world by combining grassroots activism with international, regional, and national legal advocacy.
With our international network of lawyers, activists, and supporters, we achieve legal and systemic change by holding governments responsible and providing them support for enacting and enforcing laws and policies that end legal inequality, sex trafficking and online sexual exploitation, sexual violence, and harmful practices like female genital mutilation and child marriage.
For more details, go to www.equalitynow.org, Facebook @equalitynoworg, LinkedIn Equality Now, and Twitter @equalitynow.
