CALL TO ACTION: Expanding Survivor Protections in Washington State with SB 6017
By: Khushi Prakash The Washington Coalition to end Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) has partnered with Senator Tina Orwall to work on a SB 6017, legislation introduced to build on the existing FGM/C law. The bill is scheduled for hearing on Monday, January 26 at 10:30am PT before the Senate Law and Justice Committee. The primary […]
Know Your Rights: A Resource for Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting Survivors
By Hiromi Nishida At Sahiyo, we aim to address all facets of female genital cutting (FGC) at the global, national, state, and local levels; our mission is not only about ending FGC, but also about contributing to a broader culture of healing and healthy expression of female sexuality, autonomy, and strength. FGC, also known as […]
Protecting CT Girls by Ending FGM/C: Informational Briefing for Legislators and Staff
Date: 1/29/2026 Time: 10 to 11:30 am Briefing; 11:30 to 12:30 ; Networking Lunch with Legislators Location: LOB Hearing Room 2A; Networking Lunch – 2nd floor Atrium Description: An informational briefing to Connecticut legislators and their staff ahead of the 2026 Legislative Session. The briefing will provide background information on FGM/C as a human rights […]
Strengthening Maryland’s Law Addressing Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: The SAFE Act and the Path Forward
By Nareen Pogozelski On November 1, 2025, the DMV Coalition to End FGM/C — a regional coalition of organizations working to end gender-based violence in Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, of which Sahiyo is a member — had the privilege of presenting our bill proposal at the 30th Annual Maryland Legislative Agenda for Women (MLAW) […]
H.R. 3492: A Bane Masquerading as a Boon
By Anjalika Sarkar Introduction H.R. 3492, also known as the Protect Children’s Innocence Act, was recently passed by the House of Representatives in the United States. This bill has been introduced and falsely framed as a way to protect children from genital and bodily mutilations and chemical castrations. Yet, this piece of legislation makes a […]
FGM/C in the Americas: 5 things to know about the Inter-American Human Rights hearing
Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is a grave human rights violation that involves the partial or total removal or other injury to the external female genitalia for non-medical reasons. It affects over 230 million women and girls worldwide and occurs on every continent except Antarctica. For far too long, global efforts to address FGM/C have focused […]
The Americas Alliance to Participate in IACHR Public Hearings on FGC in the Americas
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has announced the public hearings schedule for its 194th Period of Sessions, to be held from November 17 to 21, 2025, at the University of Miami. Over the course of the week, the IACHR will hold 19 public hearings addressing the human rights situation in 14 countries and […]
15 States and DC Join Lawsuit Against Trump’s Executive Order Conflating Gender-Affirming Care and FGM/C
By Hiromi Nishida On August 1, 2025, the states of California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Wisconsin joined in a lawsuit against President Trump’s Executive Order (EO) 14187, “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation”. This EO […]
Aiming for Alaska: The Struggle to Pass Legislation to Protect Children from Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in Alaska
Alaska is one of nine states remaining in the United States (U.S.) that have yet to pass laws for the prevention and protection of survivors and/or at-risk individuals from female genital cutting (FGC). However, past attempts to pass legislation in the state have been made. Though we are unsure of what circumstances led to these […]
Mississippi is Missing Key Legislation: The Struggle to Pass Legislation Addressing Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in the State
Mississippi is one of nine states left in the United States that have not yet passed any laws to prevent and protect survivors and at-risk individuals from female genital cutting (FGC). Within the state, 442 girls and women are estimated to have undergone or are at risk of undergoing FGC. Two attempts have been made […]