Since 2012, the Massachusetts Women’s Bar Association has been advocating for a state law that would protect girls from female genital mutilation and cutting (FGM/C). Yet to this day, no law has been put in place. It is estimated that over half a million girls and women in the United States are at risk of having some or all of their perfectly healthy external genitalia removed for non-medical purposes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Massachusetts 12th in the nation in terms of the number of women and girls who have undergone or are .

I live in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and I am one of those women.

Growing up in a Dawoodi Bohra community, a religious sect within the Ismaili branch of Shia Islam, I was told it was a sensitive topic, one reserved to be spoken about by women only. I thought FGM/C was normal, and I understood that I was not supposed to mention it in large gatherings or to those outside the Bohra community. What we did was special. It was tradition. It was called khatna.

Not until high school did I connect the dots and understand that khatna was female genital mutilation. After doing research on FGM/C online, it dawned on me that what I had been brought up to believe was a religious or cultural practice was in actuality violence and, because I was seven when someone cut off that piece of my clitoral hood, that it was child abuse.

In graduate school for social work, I carried out a research project to better understand how and why it continues in the United States. Most women I interviewed said it was used to control their sexuality. Nowadays, I hear from proponents of FGM/C that it is done for health and hygienic reasons, though there is no proof it brings any health benefits. In fact, FGM/C can cause physical harm including pain, bleeding, shock, tetanus, genital sores, and long-lasting psychological harm including sexual disorders, fear of sexual intimacy, nightmares and post-traumatic stress disorder.

My research helped me to understand that FGM/C was a tradition that for generations had been normalized and passed on. Over time, communities had learned to minimize the harm, and in doing so had unintentionally sanctioned violence in the name of culture or religion. It is imperative that we unlearn these toxic lessons.

This past year, the #MeToo movement encouraged women to openly talk about sexual harassment and assault that was a result of their gender. The ripple effect led to Time magazine crowning the #MeToo movement person of the year for 2017. I too tapped into the power of women’s stories and collected dozens from women living in the US who underwent FGM/C so that we could collectively submit testimony to the Massachusetts Joint Committee on the judiciary proving that girls need protection here.

But even after all these women, including myself, have bravely shared our stories, and after law enforcement, two attorneys generals, six district attorneys, legal and medical professionals, child advocates and community groups stated their support for An Act to Protect Girls from Genital Mutilation — sponsored by State Senator Harriette L. Chandler during a hearing at the Massachusetts State house in October — the bill was sent to study, meaning most likely it will not move forward.

They are still not listening to us. The bills and our stories sit on a desk, unheard, undiscussed and, worst of all, silenced.

Massachusetts is considered to be a progressive state with respect to reproductive rights, anti-discrimination laws and equality issues. Our state is one of only 17 nationwide with public funding for abortion and one of only 20 states to prohibit discrimination in employment on the basis of sexual orientation. Yet I’ve been told that the reason the act will not move forward is that Massachusetts legislators lack the political will to recognize FGM/C as violence. The skeptic in me wonders if re-election has anything to do with their “political will.” There is a fear, a misconception that by passing this bill and saying FGM/C is illegal, we would be targeting existing vulnerable communities because FGM/C happens to Muslims, to immigrants, to those communities already targeted by the Trump administration.

My childhood comes back to me. The lessons of silence, of feigning ignorance, of keeping entrenched this violence, of passing it off as a cultural tradition. The Massachusetts legislature unknowingly teaches the same lessons. Like in my childhood, I am getting the sense that because cutting of a girl’s genitalia is connected to her religion and culture, we must tread carefully, we must not classify it as harm. We must ignore and keep quiet about the physical and psychological trauma that happens because this is tradition.

But by giving this justification is the Massachusetts legislature not just “othering” the issue? Does it imply that girls living in Massachusetts do not need protection? Historically, FGM/C has been performed on girls of all ethnicities, religions, economic statuses and education levels. Up until the 1950s, clitoridectomy was used to treat hysteria, mental illness, lesbianism and to stop masturbation. My friend is one woman who submitted testimony that FGM/C was done to her in the Midwest, in Christian America, because at the age of three she touched herself.

I can’t help but wonder whether if FGM/C continued to be prevalent among white communities then Massachusetts would make it more of a priority to pass legislation to protect women. We should not and cannot sanction violence in the name of culture or religion. And we can’t protect all girls in Massachusetts unless we openly condemn female genital mutilation and recognize it for what it truly is —��violence against girls.

By passing a law to ban female genital mutilation and cutting, the Massachusetts legislators would be telling us that they are listening to the women and girls living in their state, and that they are dedicated to empowering women, especially young and vulnerable girls who might be at risk for undergoing FGM/C. I hope for that to happen.

*[If you would like to support passing a law banning FGM/C in Massachusetts, please consider signing this Change.org petition – .]

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect 51�Թ�’s editorial policy.

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On September 3, an Egyptian lawmaker, Elhamy Agina, made an for the continuation of female genital mutilation (FGM), or . He claimed that women should “reduce their sexual desires” because Egyptian men are “sexually weak.”

I wasn’t shocked by this statement, but I was reminded once again of how too often when it comes to sexuality and violence that women are the ones held responsible.

Remember when on a local news interview in August 2012, discussing the possibility of abortion during instances of rape: “First of all, from what I understand from doctors, that’s really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”

Not to go too off on a tangent, but a found that over 32,100 pregnancies resulted from rape each year, and some have found that rape survivors are more likely to become pregnant than women who have consensual sex. So how bogus was that claim?

Let’s also ignore that “legitimate rape” wordage for now, but the idea that a woman’s body shuts down the possibility of a pregnancy when she is raped puts the onus on the woman to defend herself and protect society against unwanted pregnancies.

Akin’s claim takes away any responsibility that the offender in this situation might have toward the woman who he chose to violate by raping her.

The Egyptian lawmaker, Elhamy Agina, does the same with his claim that and, therefore, women should undergo FGM because it helps “reduce a woman’s sexual appetite,” and by undergoing this potentially painful and life-threatening procedure, women will show they are standing by their man.

I’m tired of hearing the onus continually fall on women when it comes to anything relating to sex or violence. Women’s bodies and sexuality should not have to be altered because a man is unable to control himself.

Hearing this kind of rhetoric makes it sound like women are the saviors to men’s sexuality, but they are also the devil, the root of the problem. They must fix the problem. It also dismisses the fact that there are many loving and decent men around the world who are faithful to their partners, do not abuse, nor ask their wives to remove a part of their genitalia so they can have less sex.

I’m reminded of all those years that I worked with survivors of domestic violence, and how time and time again—whether in person, on the phone, through the media, from a friend, from a relative, from a stranger on the plane—people would continually ask, “Why doesn’t the survivor leave the abusive relationship?”

It maddens me that, once again, the person who was the victim—the one who was facing the emotional, sexual, financial or physical violence—was the one that was being judged with the question.

Stop Blaming the Victim

When I lived in San Francisco, domestic violence charges were brought up against the sheriff, Ross Mirkarimi, who on New Year’s. The media had a field day with the story, particularly because his wife didn’t leave him. Negative judgments were made against her character, and little attention was given to the reality that survivors of domestic violence often cannot leave an abusive relationship for a number of reasons—ranging from fear of losing custody of children, to fear of being hurt even more, to, even as unbelievable as it can be for some to understand, love.

The narrative has to change. We need to stop blaming the victim. All of us must be held accountable for our actions in perpetuating the kind of thinking that leads to different forms of gender violence being justified. In the case of FGM, it cannot be said that a harmful traditional practice needs to continue because it helps men, particularly when it comes at the costs of hurting women.

Women have a right to their bodies, to their sexuality, to their health. Men do too. All genders do. And we all have the responsibility to ensure that everyone is treated with respect, consideration and care. No more blaming the victim.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect 51�Թ�’s editorial policy.

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Many people have heard of����(FGC), which is also known as female genital mutilation or female circumcision. They have heard of the atrocious acts of women’s genitals being cut open for cultural and/or religious reasons. They have heard of the����caused by the procedure, such as severe pain and bleeding, chronic infections, infertility and other equally horrifying, lasting issues.

They have heard that it is a human rights violation and that it is a problem in Africa. And they cringe. Yet the look of pity and sorrow that crosses their faces upon hearing about this practice is nothing compared to the utter disbelief that appears when I tell them that FGC is actually performed in the United States and that this practice is on the rise.

How do I know it is practiced in America? Because I grew up in an immigrant community in which��—the least invasive kind involving the removal of the clitoral hood—was practiced and, as a result, many of my friends and family members living in the US have undergone this procedure.��It when I was 7 years old.

For those who might not know, FGC is a complicated custom, and the various groups who continue practicing it do so for a multitude of��: control over women’s sexuality, hygiene, cultural identity, religion, gender-based factors (to be considered a “true woman”), societal pressure and more. Yet what is unique about this form of gender violence is that, often, it is a custom carried out by women to young girls—usually those who either believe that being a good mother means they must have it done to their daughters, or those who feel pressured into it by other elder women in their community.

At Risk

The����and the�� (CDC)��have released two separate studies estimating that more than half a million women and girls in the US have been affected or are at risk of FGC. The new estimate by the Population Reference Bureau indicates that the number of those at risk in America has more than doubled in roughly the past decade. Since the last CDC study, which was conducted in 1990, the number of women and girls affected by this practice has more than tripled.

The United States is not the only country that recognizes that FGC is a local problem. Another����estimates that 137,000 women and girls are living with FGC in England and Wales. Globally, more than����are living with the emotionally and physically damaging effects of��FGC. It is a human rights violation that is found in nearly��every country��in the world.

Recognizing this, world leaders have prioritized the elimination of FGC under the goal of achieving gender equality as part of the (SDG)—a 15-year plan to help guide global development and funding in the “areas of critical importance for humanity and the planet.” To guide governments’ commitment to the goals, a United Nations (UN) expert group has proposed global indicators to hold states accountable.

Crucial Data

One such indicator under Goal 5—to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls—is specifically related to female genital cutting, and has just recently become a required measurement for data collection that all countries globally will be required to track.

Prior to the implementation of the SDGs, only “relevant countries” were asked to track this type of data. Meaning that the occurrence of FGC was only measured in 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East where����collected data. Other countries where FGC has been known to occur, including the��, were not required to track this information. Thus, for decades, millions of other women and girls suffering from this ordeal who lived in places not viewed as “relevant countries” were ignored. This oversight has, unfortunately, led to the perpetuation of the misconception that FGC takes place only in Africa and certain parts of the Middle East.

However, we must now commend the UN for recognizing the need to collect FGC data on a global scale, as this will allow the United Nations to identify where else on this planet that women and girls are affected and to what degree.

Collecting such data is often difficult, as communities practicing FGC continue doing so in secret and women are frequently taught to not talk about the practice in public.

Yet the collection of such data is crucial, as only by ascertaining that there are vulnerable women and girls who undergo FGC in each country can the need for support services to help women and girls be validated. The collection of data from countries across the world will also help showcase that the practice of FGC has migrated as populations move to new parts of the globe.

Thus, this data will become vital in getting governments to pass and implement laws and policies against the continuation of the practice. It will encourage governments to create outreach and education programs training social workers, health professionals and child welfare personnel in how to recognize, respond and intervene sensitively to cases of FGC that can lead to the end of this practice in affected communities.

For instance,����has no ban on the practice of FGC and barely recognizes it as a form of gender violence. However, calling on New Delhi to track this data can help pave the way for legislation to ban the practice, and in turn validate that support services are needed for those who are at risk or undergoing the practice or who have had FGC performed on them.

In July 2015, the����and UNICEF hosted the first Girls Summit aimed at mobilizing domestic and international efforts to end FGC. In addition to new legislation, the United Kingdom has helped create a national FGM Prevention Programme in partnership with the National Health Service.

By including an indicator to track FGC in each country, the UN has created a vital first step in understanding what sort of prevention and intervention programs are successful on the road to abandonment of FGC across the globe. For example, already, we know that Tostan, a Senegal-based nongovernmental organization has been successful in shifting attitudes of FGC toward abandonment of the practicing by initiating����With inclusion of this indicator, organizations working in other parts of the world on the issue of FGC, like����and��, will also be recognized for their work toward ending FGC in our global community.

Finally, women like me—those who were born in the US and who have undergone FGC—will be counted, and in time, I hope, with the data collected and support services created, this vital step will reduce the prevalence of FGC among future generations.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect 51�Թ�’s editorial policy.

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