, and members of Congress of their domestic and foreign policy commitments to ending female genital mutilation/cutting and actively work to help them achieve it.
The mere existence of laws alone will not end FGM/C, but the law can be a powerful tool for prevention and an accelerator for social change, primarily when used to raise awareness and educate. It can and will also be used to prosecute those who do not protect girls. The Department of Justice recently
an individual for taking a girl outside the country for purposes of FGM/C—the first case brought under the 2013 law.Girls know their rights;State and federal agencies, including the Departments of Health and Human Services, Education, and Justice, are informed and trained to include FGM/C prevention and treatment within existing programs;
Parents, doctors, social workers, teachers, communities and others are aware of the harms and long-term impact of FGM/C, and their role and responsibility in preventing it, with a clear understanding that breaking the law has consequences.girls, without exception, are protected from violence—including FGM/C—and remain vigilant in safeguarding this movement from being hijacked or used in a discriminatory manner.
Laws don’t implement themselves. Congress did their job and amended the law. On Zero Tolerance Day, let’s recommit to ensuring that all girls are protected from female genital mutilation/cutting; that FGM/C laws are effectively implemented for prevention, partnership, education, and, when necessary, prosecution; and that civil society does our part by holding those in positions of power accountable to girls and women.
ShelbyRQuast I agree! This practice is absolutely horrific!