“Silence is an accomplice to injustice.”
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Founder of The AHA Foundation
The AHA Foundation advocates to expand and strengthen federal and state laws in the US that help protect women and girls from female genital mutilation (FGM), honor violence, forced marriage and other issues that impact the well-being and threaten lives of women and girls.
YOU CAN HELP US BY LENDING YOUR VOICE TO OUR ADVOCACY CAMPAIGNS.
FEDERAL LEGISLATION
INCLUDING FGM IN THE REAUTHORIZATION OF THE VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT
The Violence Against Women Actcurrently does not address FGM.
Bill That Can Tackle the Issue
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is up for reauthorization this year. The AHA Foundation is currently working with federal legislators to increase the federal FGM penalty from five to 15 years and to direct funding for education and outreach to communities and professionals likely to encounter survivors and at risk individuals.
Take Action
Please urge your federal legislators to include FGM in the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. You can view our sample letter here, find your Senator here, and find your Representative here.
STOPPING ABUSIVE FEMALE EXPLOITATION (SAFE) ACT: INCREASE THE FEDERAL PENALTY FOR FGM
The federal penalty for FGM is currently only 5 years.
Bill That Can Tackle the Issue
H.R. 3317: Stopping Abusive Female Exploitation (SAFE) Act The AHA Foundation is currently working with federal legislators to increase the federal FGM penalty from five to 15 years.
Take Action
Please urge your Senators to sponsor and pass this bill without delay. You can view our sample letter here and find your Senator here.
HELP PASS LAWS TO CRIMINALIZE FGM IN YOUR STATE
22 states still do not have laws criminalizing FGM.
Bill That Can Tackle the Issue
Model State FGM Legislation If passed, this legislation will require a state to criminalize FGM.Take Action
Urge your state legislature to pass the AHA Foundation’s model FGM state legislation. To find out how you can help our efforts to pass legislation in all 50 states, email: [email protected]FGM is not a crime in 22 states shown in grey
PENNSYLVANIA RESIDENTS:HELP STOP CHILD MARRIAGE IN YOUR STATE
Gaps in Pennsylvania state law make child marriage possible.
Children ages 16 and 17 can marry with parental consent, and children aged 15 and younger in Pennsylvania can marry with approval from a judge and parental consent. Within the current legal framework, there is no minimum age below which a judge can no longer approve a marriage, nor are there any criteria that a marriage involving a minor below the age of 15 must meet to be eligible for judicial approval. Furthermore, judges have the power to approve marriages with spousal age differences constituting statutory rape. There is no mechanism in place to ensure that the required parental consent is not in fact parental coercion.
Bill That Can Tackle the Issue
Pennsylvania HB 2542 HB 2542 eliminates exceptions to the marriage age, and reserves marriage, a serious legal contract, for those who have reached the age of majority.
Take Action
Pennsylvania residents, please urge your state Representatives to pass this bill without delay. You can view our sample letter here and find your state Representative here. In addition to emailing, we urge you to tweet at and call your legislators.