10 States to Go: The Need for FGM/C Legislation in Connecticut
September 29th, 2022 from 1 pm-2:30 pm EST
In 2013, the Population Reference Bureau estimated that 2,658 women and girls in Connecticut (CT) were at risk of undergoing – or having already undergone – female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). Despite this reality, Connecticut is one of the remaining 10 U.S. states without any state-level law protecting girls from this violation of their rights.
FGM/C is a harmful social norm that is practiced worldwide and the UN has declared this practice a human rights violation. In Connecticut, many other human rights violations which stem from social norms such as human trafficking, child marriage, and conversion therapy, have been addressed through legislation however, Connecticut has yet to address the issue of FGM/C. This is surprising, considering 40 other US states have laws prohibiting FGM/C. The ten remaining states without such protections for women and girls are Alabama, Alaska, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Washington. This webinar will explore how Connecticut can move forward to address the practice of FGM/C by enacting legislation that can better protect its women and girls from this life-long harm.
This webinar was hosted by The Connecticut Coalition to End Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in partnership with the Connecticut Commission on the Status of Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity and Sahiyo. This survivor-led Coalition is working to ensure that the State of Connecticut joins with 40 other states—including its neighboring states of New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts—to end female genital mutilation/cutting.