More than half a million of girls in the US have undergone or are at risk of being subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM) according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

While girls in the US continue to be at risk of FGM, professionals who may encounter these girls lack training in how to help them. If a girl has suspicions about her family planning a trip overseas in order to subject her to female genital mutilation and you are her teacher, doctor, or a social worker she reached out to, would you know what action you need to take to ensure she is safe? If she has already undergone FGM, would you know which services are available and appropriate for helping her deal with any challenges she may be facing?

Thanks to the generosity of our donors,

the AHA Foundation is hard at work to make its service provider training on handling FGM cases available online

and will introduce the training with a FREE webinar on FGM

on Monday, September 19 at 2 PM EST.

Webinar host:

Stephanie Baric, women’s rights expert

Special guests:

Wondimu Yirga, anti-FGM activist and advocate

Hilary Burrage, sociologist, writer and advocate against FGM

In this webinar, you will learn how to provide culturally sensitive support to girls at risk and survivors of FGM.

Register to attend the free webinar on Monday, September 19th at 2:00 pm EST.

If you are unable to attend in real-time, you will still receive the training material by registering.

Register now!

We are thrilled to provide this critical training online, soon making it accessible to anyone with access to the Internet. The training is specifically designed for law enforcement agents, educators, doctors, domestic violence and social work professionals, and others who work on the front lines protecting women and girls in the US from violence and abuse.

A recently published report commissioned by the US Department of Justice on honor violence in the US recommends training of law enforcement, educators, and service providers as a key next step in protecting women from honor violence in the US. 

Training professionals how to correctly handle cases of female genital mutilation and work with communities who may cut their girls is key in ensuring the health and safety of potential victims.

Will you join us and help us spread the word?

Please remember that trainings like these are made possible thanks to your support. Help us save lives and protect the dignity of girls in the US facing female genital mutilation and other harmful traditional practices.