Finally, FGM Is on Trial in America – An Oped by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Originally published by the Daily Beast: 7:00AM 25 April, 2017

Thursday, the pre-trial hearing of Dr. Jumana Nagarwala begins.

She is being prosecuted in federal criminal court for allegedly performing genital mutilation on young girls in Detroit. Last week, the owners of the medical clinic Dr. Nagarwala used to allegedly inflict the mutilations were also charged—the first three people to be prosecuted under a law that has been in place since 1996.

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is well understood to be taking place within the United States as well as performed on American girls overseas. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 513,000 women and girls in the U.S. are at risk of or have undergone FGM.

Although it rightly makes many squeamish, we must speak openly about what female genital mutilation is. Otherwise it will remain underground, and vulnerable girls will continue to be brutalized. FGM often involves the removal of the clitoris and one or both sets of labia. The vaginal opening is often then sewn shut, leaving only a small hole. It is generally performed without anesthetic on girls from infancy into their teens. Aside from the staggering pain during and after the procedure, long-term physical consequences include childbirth complications, risk of infection and cysts, and pain during intercourse, which can involve a forced opening of the scar tissue.

It may seem hard to understand why parents would inflict this particularly cruel and risky form of abuse on their daughters. The reasons are deeply held religious and cultural beliefs about female sexuality and modesty. By stripping sex of physical pleasure for a woman, it is thought her libido will be reduced, her virginity safeguarded, and her marital fidelity ensured. Families fear that their daughters will be un-marriageable within their community or bring shame to their family if they are not subjected to FGM.

In her arraignment at court last week, Nagarwala’s defense attorney cited religious motivation as her reason for allegedly performing the outlawed practice. Although many commendable Muslims decry FGM, Islam is often used to justify the practice. Nagarwala belongs to a small Indian Shia Muslim community, but according to the Population Reference Bureau, immigrant communities from Egypt, Ethiopia, and Somalia account for more than half of girls at risk of FGM in the United States.

It is one thing to respect other cultures and religions, and quite another to turn a blind eye to cultural practices that violate the human rights of women and girls.

This outdated, barbaric practice takes place behind closed doors, inside families, and within communities that know it is considered abhorrent and illegal in this country, so they hush it up. FBI evidence against Nagarwala says she performed FGM in a closed medical clinic, telling the girls and their parents to keep it secret. Referrals to her have been described as a medical “black market” for FGM.

The prosecution of Nagarwala is shining much-needed light on this underground human rights abuse. The case sends a strong message that inflicting genital mutilation on little girls is an intolerable form of child abuse and the perpetrators will go to jail.

It has taken four years for the FBI to gather sufficient evidence to prosecute this case. An ongoing challenge to prosecuting FGM is the lack of state legislation criminalizing the practice. Twenty-six states have yet to outlaw FGM, making the job of law enforcement and prosecutors so much harder. Families determined to cut their daughters can cross state lines to avoid harsher penalties. Two of the 7-year-old girls allegedly mutilated by Nagarwala in February were brought by their families from Minnesota, where a prosecution can lead to life imprisonment, to Michigan—a state with no specific FGM protections.

State laws are necessary and have proven useful reasons for families, feeling pressure from their communities, as to why they will not cut their daughters. Yet laws are insufficient for stamping out FGM. Frontline service workers—the police, teachers, child protection, social services, and health-care workers—are often uncomfortable broaching the subject, worried about appearing culturally insensitive. This is why my organization, the AHA Foundation, has developed training for professionals on how to recognize and respond to the warning signs of FGM, and how to broach the topic in a culturally respectful manner.

To end the practice of FGM it is important to address the deeply ingrained cultural beliefs that perpetuate the practice of FGM. Education and outreach programs in communities can make a difference. These programs teach women, girls, and, importantly, men, about the health risks and emotional trauma caused by the practice as well as the criminal penalties for inflicting FGM on a minor.

America’s first FGM prosecution has come at a crucial moment. We’re just weeks away from the summer break, a time notorious for U.S. girls being sent overseas to undergo genital mutilation. Even though it has been outlawed since 2013, “vacation cutting” persists due to the pervasive silence surrounding FGM. Devastatingly, many girls will return to America in the coming months painfully and irrevocably changed.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali is founder of the AHA Foundation, which exists to protect women and girls from abuses of the sort described in this article. She is also a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford.

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

Betnbet

Hacklink

Backlink

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

Betebet

Hacklink

Nulled WordPress Plugins and Themes

hacklink

Taksimbet

Bahsine

Tipobet

Betmarlo

Hacklink

Link Kısaltma

hacklink

Nulled WordPress Themes Plugins

Hacklink

Hacklink

Hacklink satın al

링크모음

Hacklink

Hacklink

Hacklink

Hacklink

Hacklink

Hacklink

Backlink

Hacklink

Marsbahis

kadın parfüm

listcrawler.us.com

github.com/gravity-forms-download

dizipal

betebet

Betpas

bahiscasino

betgaranti

betgaranti

betgaranti

hititbet

casibom

deneme bonusu veren siteler

kadıköy escort

kocaeli profilo servisi

betpark giriş

betpark

betmarino

hititbet giriş

hititbet

Matbet

Matbet

deneme bonusu veren siteler

Hacklink

kadıköy escort

vozol

สล็อตเว็บตรง100%

Cinsel Performans Arttırıcı İlaçlar

Eczanelerde Satılan Sertleştiriciler

makrobet

mamibet

toy poodle fiyat

Betpas

Taksimbet

Restbet

sekabet

https://chickenroads.casino/

ataşehir escort

betebet

betgaranti

hititbet

deneme bonusu veren siteler

vaycasino

slot gacor

Hacklink

betgaranti giriş

betpas giriş

betpark giriş

betpark

hititbet giriş

hititbet giriş

betmarino

hititbet

hititbet

Pirots 4

betebet

kralbet giriş

Dizipal

Hacklink Panel

Hacklink

Hacklink

pusulabet giriş

pusulabet giriş

pusulabet giriş

casibom giriş

situs slot gacor

sahabet

tatvan davet evi

hititbet

casibom giriş

grandpashabet

สล็อตเว็บตรง

starzbet

casibom giriş

casibom

esenyurt escort

메이저사이트

kayseri escort

süratbet

bosch servis

holiganbet

holiganbet

hititbet

tatvan

bahiscasino

Payspan Login

Aither Health

cialis fiyat

viagra fiyat

cialis 5 mg

ace medicare supplement provider portal

viagra fiyat

parfüm

kadın giyim

kadın çanta

Backlink

kısa link

Backlink

matbet

casibom

marsbahis

marsbahis

hitbet

parfüm

ohio security insurance company

betist güncel giriş

tatvan davet evi

hititbet giriş

grandpashabet

deneme bonusu

dizipal

cialis fiyat

cialis fiyat

escort bayan

terea sigara

elektronik sigara

vozol puff

vozol puff

vozol 12000

ataşehir escort

grandbetting

grandbetting giriş

betwoon

bostancı escort

holiganbet

IQOS

kadıköy escort

vozol

takipçi satın al

istanbul escort

casibom giriş

texas behavioral health executive council

casibom

Hipercasino Twitter

betgaranti

betgaranti giriş

betpas giriş

Süratbet

sahabet

Sıra Bulucu

istanbul escort

istanbul escort

sultantoto

direkturtoto

ankara escort

sürat bet güncel giriş

matadorbet

matadorbet giriş

hititbet

hititbet giriş

hititbet giriş

betpark

betpark

presidenttoto

mastertoto

muliatoto

capitaltoto

istanbul escort

Süratbet Giriş

betebet

capitaltoto

youngtoto

sultantoto

sekabet

bracelet

youngtoto

sultantoto

direkturtoto

presidenttoto

muliatoto

capitaltoto

youngtoto

direkturtoto

presidenttoto

mastertoto

muliatoto

capitaltoto

youngtoto

direkturtoto

sultantoto

porno

google

bahis siteleri

Postegro

taraftarium24

truck accident lawyer

casibom

casibom

bestsolaris

Kısa link

Link Kısaltma

sportsurge

unblocked games

dizipal