The U.S. Must Preserve Integrity of Law Against Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting and to Condemn Its Harmful Conflation With Gender-Affirming Care
The U.S. End FGM/C Network, the Global Platform for Action to End FGM/C and the Americas Alliance to End FGM/C are joined by civil society organizations from across the United States and around the world in co-signing this open letter urging the U.S. Government to preserve the integrity of the existing federal law prohibiting female […]
Addressing Female Genital Cutting Requires Context and Compassion
*This blog was originally published by the Asia Network to End FGM/C and is being reshared here with their perrmisson, for more information about the Asia Network to End FGM/C click the links below* Social Media: Instagram: ARROW Facebook: Asia Network to End FGM/C X: https://x.com/endfgmcasia By Huda Syyed While there is a growing body of work surrounding FGC in […]
Bhaiyo: Men Against FGC
By Nishikant Mendhapurkar, Bhaiyo Volunteer I first came across the issue of female genital cutting (FGM/C) during a research project I was involved with at university, though I had also heard about it from friends several years ago. Over time, my role evolved from a researcher to an ally. I became increasingly involved in advocacy […]
Beyond Advocacy: How the Sahiyo Retreat Deepened My Healing
By Lubaina Plumber I still remember the first time I attended a Sahiyo retreat. I walked into the retreat feeling uncertain, not quite knowing what to expect.But I left with a deep sense of connection—like I had just found a room full of people who spoke a language I had been struggling to translate for […]
Engaging Across Gendered Walls: Talking to Men about FGC
By Zahara Kagalwalla Female Genital Cutting (FGC) has long been confined to spaces occupied by women. It is spoken about in hushed tones, passed down as a “woman’s thing,” a ritual overseen and upheld by grandmothers, mothers, aunts, and elderly women in the community. Men, for the most part, remain absent—silent onlookers, if they are looking […]
Connecticut Coalition Members Testify on Bill #1438
By: Katie Bai After five years of tireless work from advocates, survivors, as well as medical and legal professionals in the Connecticut Coalition to End FGM/C, Bill #1438 – a bill that would protect women and girls from female genital mutilation in Connecticut – was introduced in the Connecticut Joint Committee on Judiciary. While the Coalition […]
You don’t know how much you need it until it’s over
By Umme Kulsoom Arif, Esq. I first attended a Sahiyo Activists’ Retreat in 2022, when virtual meetings were still the norm. Since then, I have been a member of the Activists’ Retreat planning committee, working on programming and logistics for in-person and virtual retreats alike. The 2025 Activists’ Retreat was my second in-person retreat. I’m not […]
Washington D.C. Passes Comprehensive Law to Protect Children from Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting
By: Katie Bai After six years of tireless work from survivors, advocates, and legislators, Washington, D.C. has enacted L25-0322, now D.C. § 22–1431, titled the “Female Genital Mutilation Prohibition Act of 2024.” We celebrate the comprehensiveness of this law and are proud to witness D.C. become the final member of the Washington D.C., Maryland, and […]
The History of Addressing Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting via Legislation in Connecticut
By: Katie Bai Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is a harmful social norm involving the partial or total removal of female-assigned external genitalia or other injury to the female-assigned genital organs for non-medical reasons. Globally, over 230 million girls and women have undergone FGM/C. FGM/C has a long history in the United States, and currently, over […]
The History of Addressing Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in Montana
By: Katie Bai Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is a harmful social norm involving the partial or total removal of female-assigned external genitalia or other injury to the female-assigned genital organs for non-medical reasons. Globally, over 230 million girls and women have undergone FGM/C. FGM/C has a long history in the United States, and currently, over […]