U.S. Should Continue To Invest In Preventing Female Genital Mutilation At Home, Abroad

The Hill: Michigan case shows more needs to be done to confront female genital mutilation
Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.), chair of the House Democratic Caucus

“…[D]espite politics, the U.S. should not weaken its investments in critical funding sources like USAID and the U.N. Population Fund that support the culturally appropriate work being done on the ground in countries where [female genital mutilation (FGM)] is prevalent. But equally important is the need to invest at home in strategies that both prevent FGM and care for those at risk or who have undergone FGM. Our federal agencies … have made significant strides in improving public awareness and outreach efforts, making sure that everyone in the U.S. and coming to the U.S. knows that FGM is illegal. To build on those efforts, we need a comprehensive, multi-agency national strategy to fight FGM on every front … FGM is a human rights violation — one which a global community is working to end. …[T]he focus on FGM cannot be fleeting. The U.N. has called for an end to FGM within a generation. That goal is achievable, but only if we bring this issue out of the shadows, confront it head on, and provide the strategy and the resources to truly fight FGM once and for all” (4/18).

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