New Federal Law Strengthens Protections Against FGM: The AHA Foundation Supports the ‘Transport for Female Genital Mutilation Act’

Since its inception, the AHA Foundation has worked to prevent female genital mutilation (FGM) through advocacy, education and legislative reform.  Last week, President Obama significantly advanced these efforts when he signed into law the ‘Transport for Female Genital Mutilation Act’, which was passed as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act.  While FGM has been illegal in the United States since 1996, the Act strengthens the existing federal FGM ban by adding an “extraterritoriality” component, making it illegal to knowingly transport a girl out of the country for the purpose of undergoing the procedure.  This amendment was designed to address the all-too-common practice of “vacation cutting”, in which girls living in the United States are taken to their parents’ country of origin during school breaks to undergo the procedure. Those found guilty under the new legislation will be sentenced to up to five years imprisonment (the same penalty imposed on those who commit FGM within the United States).

Senator Harry Reid and Representatives Joseph Crowley and Mary Bono Mack — three legislators with a demonstrated commitment to women’s issues — spearheaded the Transport for Female Genital Mutilation Act.   The AHA Foundation commends their efforts, and applauds the President for signing this bill into law.

FGM is a traditional practice that involves the partial or complete removal of female genitalia and causes lifelong physical and psychological harm.  The World Health Organization estimates that between 100 and 140 million girls and women have been subjected to FGM worldwide.   According to research conducted by the African Women’s Health Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA, approximately 228,000 women and girls living in the United States have undergone or are at risk of undergoing FGM.

The AHA Foundation has consistently advocated for the expansion of FGM legislation to include procedures performed abroad.  For the past several years, we have lobbied for extraterritorial FGM bans to be enacted on both the state and federal levels.  Ayaan Hirsi Ali, founder of the AHA Foundation, and our Executive Director specifically consulted with Representative Crowley on the issue of “vacation cutting”, and expressed our support for the language contained in the new Bill.

“The AHA Foundation and organisations like it are the first line of defence for victims of these horrific behaviours. They need the tools to do their job and any law that protects victims is welcome. FGM is an attack on womanhood, it’s a terrible indictment of man and his attempt to control a woman or a girl’s behaviour. It cannot be allowed to go unchallenged,” said Nazir Afzal OBE, Director of the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service.

While the AHA Foundation believes that the five-year maximum sentence is too lenient, we regard the Transport for Female Genital Mutilation Act as an important development in the ongoing struggle against FGM.  In response to the passage of the Bill, Hirsi Ali acknowledged the work that is yet to be done, saying “As we celebrate this victory we know that this Bill is only a first step.” The Act sends a strong deterrent message to parents considering taking their daughters overseas for FGM, and reflects the global condemnation of FGM as a human rights violation and form of gender-based violence.  We acknowledge, however, that legislation alone will not eradicate this practice.  If we are truly committed to ending FGM, sufficient resources must be allocated to investigating and prosecuting instances of FGM, educating at-risk populations, and ensuring that victims have access to adequate support and assistance within their communities.

In the words of Ayaan Hirsi Ali:  “I will not accept little girls in my country to be forced into marriage, or their genitals to be cut, for them to be pulled out of school, for them to be condemned to a life of submission or violence or death through an honor killing.  What you want for that girl is what you want for your own little girl.”

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.

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

Hacklink

Marsbahis

kadın parfüm

listcrawler.us.com

github.com/gravity-forms-download

istanbul escort

kocaeli profilo servisi

betpark giriş

betpark

betmarino

hititbet giriş

hititbet

Matbet

Matbet

deneme bonusu veren siteler

Hacklink

istanbul escort

vozol

สล็อตเว็บตรง100%

Cinsel Performans Arttırıcı İlaçlar

Eczanelerde Satılan Sertleştiriciler

makrobet

mamibet

toy poodle fiyat

Betpas

Taksimbet

Restbet

sekabet

https://chickenroads.casino/

kadıköy escort

betebet

betgaranti

hititbet

deneme bonusu veren siteler

vaycasino

slot gacor

Hacklink

betgaranti giriş

betpas giriş

betpark giriş

betpark

hititbet giriş

betpas giriş

betmarino

betpas

betpas

Pirots 4

betebet

kralbet giriş

Dizipal

Hacklink Panel

Hacklink

pusulabet giriş

pusulabet giriş

pusulabet giriş

casibom güncel giriş

situs slot gacor

sahabet

tatvan davet evi

betpark

casibom giriş

grandpashabet

สล็อตเว็บตรง

starzbet

casibom güncel giriş

sahabet giriş

beykoz escort

메이저사이트

kayseri escort

süratbet

bosch servis

holiganbet

holiganbet

hititbet

tatvan

bahiscasino

payspan provider login

Aither Health

cialis fiyat

viagra fiyat

cialis 5 mg

ace medicare supplement provider portal

viagra fiyat

parfüm

kadın giyim

kadın çanta

Kısa link

kısa link

matbet

casibom

marsbahis

marsbahis

betcio

parfüm

ohio security insurance company

betist güncel giriş

tatvan davet evi

betpark giriş

grandpashabet

deneme bonusu

dizipal

cialis fiyat

cialis fiyat

escort bayan

terea sigara

elektronik sigara

vozol puff

vozol puff

vozol 12000

ataşehir escort

betwoon

bostancı escort

jojobet

IQOS

kadıköy escort

vozol

takipçi satın al

istanbul escort

casibom

texas behavioral health executive council

jojobet

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

betpas

betpas giriş

hititbet giriş

betpark

betpark

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

sahabet giriş

bestsolaris

Kısa link

Link Kısaltma

sportsurge

unblocked games

dizipal

Sportsurge

onlyfans2025

matadorbet

grandbetting

betebet

izmir escort

jojobet

diyarbakır escort

texas behavioral health executive council

sekabet