Dear AHA Foundation Supporter,

When considering the common thread of our newsletter articles this month, I kept coming back to the fact that the theme really is a celebration of the amazing progress we’re making together in the fight against honor violence in the US. And the humbling fact that despite this, there is much left to do.

Early in 2012, the AHA Foundation worked directly with Rep. Frank Wolf on his bill that would compel the US government to begin tracking honor violence. Fast forward to today, because of that bill, a research report commissioned by the Department of Justice has just been released discussing the urgency of training law enforcement officials on the distinct nature of honor violence, and highlighting AHA Foundation training materials that do just that. Our Executive Director Stephanie Baric shares her reflections on this important resource in addressing honor violence.

This month, in our third installment for our summer series on female genital mutilation (FGM), we recall major legislative successes that serve to better protect women and girls in the US, including making it illegal for girls to be taken overseas for the procedure and the addition of 6 new state laws banning the practice since our inception in 2007. Despite all this, there is still much to do – 26 US states still do not have laws banning the life-threatening procedure and many people aren’t aware that more than 500,000 women and girls are at risk right here.

Finally, to help you get to know us a little better, and to inspire some of your summer reading selections, the team has put together a list of our favorite books and what makes them so special to us. We hope they move you just as they have us.

All the progress we celebrate this month wouldn’t be possible without you, our partners in this life-saving work. From raising awareness of our issues to raising the critical funds necessary to implement our programs, we’re grateful for the support you provide.

Thank you,

Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Founder, The AHA Foundation