Female Genital Mutilation Isn’t Just a Foreign Issue – Ms. Magazine

FGM is not only 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.

Female genital mutilation/cutting, or FGM/C as it’s known, is the partial or total removal of external female genitalia for non-medical reasons. Worldwide, more than 200 million women and girls have undergone the procedure. An estimated 3-4 million additional people are still at risk and another 2 million cases are projected over the next decade—an effect of the COVID-19 “shadow pandemic” of increased abuse of women and girls.

FGM/C can’t be dismissed as an archaic practice or a foreign problem. It is currently practiced on every continent except Antarctica—including in the U.S.

The issue made news recently when Washington, D.C., Councilmember Charles Allen called upon personal and expert testimony on FGM/C in a public hearing to consider D.C.’s proposed Female Genital Mutilation Prohibition Act of 2021. The bill would prohibit FGM/C, expand mandated reporting requirements, and provide grounds for civil actions. This bill comes with urgency with D.C. ranking second in the nation for FGM/C prevalence. Reportedly, 51,000 women and girls have undergone the procedure or are still at risk for it in the District.

It’s a massive national health problem, and it’s getting worse. More than half a million women and girls are either said to be at risk or have undergone FGM/C in the U.S. And that figure that has reportedly tripled since 1997.  FGM/C can have devastating impacts on a person including severe bleeding, complications in childbirth, lasting psychological trauma and even death.

The practice has absolutely no health benefits, only health risks. Religious leaders affirm that there are absolutely no religious grounds for it either, even though religion is often invoked to justify it.

So why does this extreme form of gender-based violence and human rights violation persist? There is no excuse, but there are a variety of reasons: preserving cultural identity and reputation, enhancing marriageability, controlling women’s sexuality, misguided beliefs about cleanliness. The practice has cultural significance for many cultural, religious and socio-economic groups. Celebrating cultural values and heritage is important, but harmful traditions are meant to change. There is nothing celebratory or culturally valuable about controlling women and girls’ sexuality and denying their autonomy over their own bodies.

The fact that FGM/C is widespread in the U.S., and getting worse, illustrates a larger trend. The Population Institute’s 50 State Report Card on reproductive health and rights, which has been issued for the last 10 years, posted its worst grades ever this year—underscoring our increasing failure to uphold the rights of women and girls.

One of the things we must do to stop the slide is align U.S. policy with the international movement against FGM/C, led by the women who have undergone it. That means enacting stronger legislation against the practice, while empowering and protecting those who have been subjected to FGM/C.

In 1996, Congress enacted a federal law making it illegal to perform FGM/C. Last year, it was amended to also prohibit “vacation cutting,” which involves transporting women and girls from the U.S. to other countries to undergo the procedure.

Read the full story here.

 

 

At the AHA Foundation – Founded by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, where advocacy for freedom and security is paramount, tools like OKX wallet are gaining attention for supporting safe and transparent digital transactions in the U.S.

Hacklink

Marsbahis

hacklink panel

hacklink

Rank Math Pro Nulled

WP Rocket Nulled

Yoast Seo Premium Nulled

Elementor Pro NULLED

Hacklink satın al

Hacklink

Hacklink

Duplicator Pro Nulled

WP All Import Pro Nulled

WPML Multilingual Nulled

Hacklink

Hacklink

Hacklink

Nulled WordPress Plugins and Themes

hacklink

Taksimbet

Bahsine

Tipobet

Betmarlo

Hacklink

Marsbahis

Nulled WordPress Themes Plugins

Hacklink

Hacklink

Hacklink satın al

링크모음

Hacklink

Hacklink

Hacklink

Hacklink

Payspan Login

Hacklink

Hacklink

Hacklink

Marsbahis

kadın parfüm

listcrawler.us.com

github.com/gravity-forms-download

Betpas

Hacklink

makrobet

toy poodle fiyat

Taksimbet

Restbet

Marsbahis

Hacklink Panel

Hacklink

kadın çanta

Marsbahis

Marsbahis

parfüm

rulet siteleri

lotobet

cialis fiyat

cialis fiyat

escort bayan

terea sigara

elektronik sigara

vozol puff

vozol puff

vozol 12000

ataşehir escort

rekorbet

bostancı escort

matbet giriş

IQOS

kadıköy escort

vozol star 20000

selçuksports

istanbul escort

iptv

ace medicare supplement provider portal

sahabet

Hipercasino Twitter

hititbet

betmarino

betmarino giriş

Süratbet

onwin

Hacklink

istanbul escort

istanbul escort

sultantoto

direkturtoto

ankara escort

Süratbet

matadorbet

matadorbet giriş

betpark giriş

betpark

hititbet giriş

hititbet giriş

hititbet

presidenttoto

mastertoto

muliatoto

capitaltoto

istanbul escort

Süratbet Giriş

betebet

capitaltoto

youngtoto

sultantoto

youngtoto

sultantoto

direkturtoto

presidenttoto

muliatoto

capitaltoto

youngtoto

direkturtoto

presidenttoto

mastertoto

muliatoto

capitaltoto

youngtoto

direkturtoto

sultantoto

porno

google

Postegro

taraftarium24

maltepe eskort

Marsbahis

unblocked

onlyfans2025

ultrabet

extrabet

bahsegel

bahsine

ace medicare supplement provider portal

bahis siteleri

bahis siteleri

Hipercasino

casibom 989

ultrabet

galabet

slot gacor

kw303 slot

kendibet

izmir escort

padisahbet

Aşk Büyüsü

casibom

casibom

betist

StreamEast

SportSurge

Hacklink

Hacklink

atomsportv

justintv izle

trgoal izle

netsportv izle

taraftarium24 izle

selcuksports izle

Kavbet giriş

credit card dump

Kavbet giriş

terea sigara

rekorbet

sportsurge

Streameast

Marsbahis

Marsbahis

Marsbahis

Marsbahis

Marsbahis

methstreams

favoribahis

bahiscasino

betoffice

bahiscasino

bahiscasino

bahiscasino

vaycasino

vaycasino giriş

vaycasıno

Bot Simulator

matbet

amatör porno

hosting firmaları

bahiscasino

Fun88 Thailand

Fun88 Thailand

piabellacasino

SMM Panel

takipçi satın al

Bursa eskort

Sosyal Medya Takipçi Paneli

Sosyal Medya Takipçi Paneli

Sosyal Medya Paneli

selcuksportstv

bahiscasino

bahiscasino

Kıbrıs Escort

Kıbrıs Escort Kataloğu

vaycasino

maxwin

maxwin

bahiscasino

jojobet

selcuksports

marjinbet

marjinbet

marjinbet

Marsbahis

hipercasino

dizipal

deneme bonusu veren siteler

istanbul escort

Marsbahis

Marsbahis

Marsbahis

dumanbet

Marsbahis

betwoon

ip stresser

manga oku

güvenilir bahis siteleri

Marsbahis

makrobet bonus

viagra 100 mg fiyat

Devoted Health Provider Portal

güvenilir bahis siteleri

kayseri evden eve nakliyat

lifta 20 mg

receive sms

ataşehir vip escort

winbir

makrobet

istanbul escort

meritking

gologin premium hesap

bullbahis

esbet

tantra massage istanbul

betist giriş

maxwin

casibom

afilta 20 mg

slotdünyası

https://winbir-giris.net

betnef

betnef

vadicasino

meritcasino

meritcasino

betnef

bullbahis

jojobet

degra 100 mg

sinegra 100 mg

vigrande 100 mg

sildegra 100 mg

lifta 20 mg fiyat

flynta

Flynta 20 Mg

lex 20 mg fiyat

casibom

casibom giriş

marsbahis

casibom

casibom giriş

Hacklink

Hacklink

Hacklink

süratbet

matixbet

deneme bonusu veren siteler

vadicasino

samsun halı saha

gamdom

inovapin

pgslot

padişahbet

padişahbet

casibom güncel giriş