DC’s “Female Genital Mutilation Prohibition Act of 2021”
On February 28th, Councilmember Charles Allen, Chairperson of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, convened a public hearing to consider Washington DC District Bill 24-0516, the “Female Genital Mutilation Prohibition Act of 2021.” The stated purpose of the “Female Genital Mutilation Prohibition Act of 2021” is to prohibit the female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) […]
Who? A Zine About The Global Impact of FGC
By: Cate Cox In the fall of my junior year at university, I decided to take a course called “Human Rights and Global Literature.” In this class, we explored diverse kinds of literature that called into question different conceptions of human rights, including works by Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor, Tadeusz Borowski, Vaddey Ratner, Farnoosh Moshiri, and […]
Legislative update: The Biden Administration’s National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality
On October 22nd, the Biden-Harris Administration issued the first-ever national gender strategy to advance the full participation of all people – including women and girls – in the United States and around the world. The National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality incorporates female genital cutting (FGC) as a form of gender-based violence needing attention, […]
Sahiyo’s statement on the Michigan case dismissal on Sep 28, 2021
It is with great sadness and disappointment that Sahiyo responds to the recent judgement in the Michigan case. Female genital cutting (FGC) is recognized internationally, and specifically by the U.S. Government as a violation of human rights. Judge Friedman’s decision to throw out this case, which is the nation’s first FGC case, highlights a failure […]
Mutilation or enhancement: A researcher’s argument for respectful terminology on genital cutting
By Brian D. Earp I have published several papers on the ethics of medically unnecessary genital cutting practices affecting children of all sexes and genders. When my writing touches on the sub-set of these practices that affect persons with characteristically female sex-typed genitals, I have received some pushback for using the term female genital cutting […]
A reflection on Sahiyo’s virtual U.S. Activists Retreat
By Anonymous The aim of Sahiyo’s third annual Activists Retreat in the United States was to continue to work toward building a network of U.S.-based Bohra activists against female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) by strengthening relationships with one another, sharing best practices, and providing tools for activists to utilize in their advocacy work moving forward. Below, […]
UnChained At Last: The United States’ Child Marriage Problem webinar reflection
By Cate Cox On June 17th, UnChained At Last held their webinar, “The United States’ Child Marriage Problem.” Founded by a survivor of forced marriage, Fraidy Reiss, UnChained At Last is the only U.S.-based organization working to end forced and child marriages through direct advocacy and services. During this webinar, they explored their work and research into ending child marriage. […]
Female genital cutting: Underacknowledged and underrecognized in the United States
By Cate Cox On June 3rd, 2021 Sahiyo partnered with the Connecticut Trauma and Gender Learning Collaborative and The George Washington University associate professor Dr. Karen McDonnell to hold a training for healthcare professionals who may interact with survivors of female genital cutting (FGC). The Connecticut Trauma and Gender Learning Collaborative focuses on trauma-informed and gender-responsive treatment. Many of […]
Webinar: Female genital cutting is an under-recognized form of gender-based violence in the U.S.
By Cate Cox On April 15th, Sahiyo partnered with the U.S. End FGM/C Network and the Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence (APIGBV) for our webinar: Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C): An Under-Recognized Form of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in the Unites States. This webinar was the second in a series that explored the intersection of FGM/C and GBV; how COVID-19 […]
The United States has a law banning female genital cutting. What now?
By Hunter Kessous On January 5th, the H.R. 6100-STOP FGM Act was signed into law, upon being passed through the House of Representatives and the Senate unanimously. The federal law criminalizes female genital cutting (FGC), a form of gender-based violence against young girls, which involves medically unnecessary partial or total removal of the external genitalia. […]