Mid-2000’s
The U.S. End FGM/C Network was functioning as an informal network of various partners working on FGM/C in the U.S. and globally.
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History
A History of Collaboration and Impact
In the mid 2000’s, an informal US End FGM/C Network (the Network) emerged as a loose affiliation of various stakeholders working on FGM/C prevention efforts both in the U.S. and abroad. Since then, the Network has been informally facilitating information exchange mechanisms, galvanizing funding opportunities for FGM/C research and programs, and organizing convenings on FGM/C in the U.S.
In December 2016, the Network played a key role in advancing the End Violence against Girls: Summit on FGM/C. This major event, which involved over 200 FGM/C leaders from across the country and around the world, spurred new momentum in support of FGM/C abandonment efforts both in the US and globally.
Strengthening Collaboration to Drive Change
In April 2017, the Network along with Equality Now, Safe Hands for Girls, and The U.S. Institute of Peace disseminated the final report from the End Violence Against Girls: Summit on FGM/C. In addition to highlighting strategic approaches to addressing FGM/C among various stakeholders impacted by this issue, the report also called for increased coordination and collaboration among government, front line professionals, community leaders and organization, and activists focused on ending FGM/C. This moved the Network to strengthen its collective advocacy and outreach efforts, and maximize its impact.
Building a stronger national movement.
With continued support from the Wallace Global Fund, in September of 2017, the Network commissioned a scoping study to further explore the context and landscape of FGM/C work in the U.S., and inform the Network’s efforts to scale up its work. The study showed that the lack of a more formal and comprehensive U.S. Network hindered the ability of stakeholders across the U.S. to find support, build on each other’s work, and amplify common themes around ending FGM/C.
Officially Launching the Movement
Following a year-long organizational development and strategic planning phase, the Network was soft-launched in 2018 and officially launched on the International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGMC (ZTD) on February 6, 2019 with the vision of creating a world in which girls and women feel safe, protected, and empowered and FGM/C has been abandoned. This history solidifies that grassroots organizing, survivor leadership, and movement building are central to our work because our very founding as an organization was built from the anti-FGM/C movement – driven by survivors and activists, and guides us in all of our activities moving forward.
Today we are proud to count over 200 organizations and individuals from all over the world as members of the Network. The story of our organization’s formation, which grew from the grassroots movement and survivor voices, remains central to all of our work, values, and mission.
Our Timeline
January 2016
The informal U.S. End FGM/C Network began hosting biannual meetings between U.S. federal agencies and civil society to encourage coordination, information sharing, and collaboration on addressing FGM/C in the United States.
December 2016
The informal U.S. End FGM/C Network co-hosted the End Violence Against Girls: Summit on FGM/C
April 2017
The U.S. End FGM/C Network, alongside our partners, released the final report from the Girls Summit, which highlighted the key recommendations from the event both in the U.S. and globally
September 2017
The U.S. End FGM/C Network began a scoping study to learn more about the current landscape of the anti-FGM/C movement in the U.S. and how to scale up the Network’s work
2018
The U.S. End FGM/C Network is soft-launched after a year-long strategic planning phase, which included reviewing and incorporating information from the scoping study
November 2018: After a federal judge dismissed the charges in the US v Nagarwala case and ruled that Congress did not have authority to pass the federal FGM law, the U.S. End FGM/C Network joined Equality Now, WeSpeakOut, Sahiyo, and Safe Hands for Girls in submitting an Amicus Brief before the District Court
February 6, 2019
The U.S. End FGM/C Network is officially launched on International Day of Zero Tolerance
June 2019
The U.S. End FGM/C Network joins other civil society organizations around the world to co-found the Global Platform for Action to End FGM/C at Women Deliver 2019 in Vancouver, Canada
September 2020
The U.S. End FGM/C Network becomes a national technical assistance provider through the Office on Victims of Crime, solidifying our position as a leading voice on the subject matter of FGM/C in the U.S.
2022
With the hiring of their new Executive Director, Caitlin LeMay, the Network reviews progress on its goals and updates its Strategic Plan
July 16, 2023
The U.S. End FGM/C Network co-hosts an official pre-conference event “Catalyzing Global Action To End Female Genital Mutilation or Cutting (FGM/C)”, alongside the Global Platform for Action to End FGM/C at Women Deliver 2023 in Kigali, Rwanda.
June 19, 2024
The U.S. End FGM/C Network’s Steering Committee engages in an all-day, in-person strategic planning session to begin developing the Network’s 5-year strategic plan.
October 24, 2024
The U.S. End FGM/C Network co-hosted the first global conference on FGM/C in the United States since the End Violence Against Girls: Summit on FGM/C in 2016.
September 2025
The U.S. End FGM/C Network officially launches its 5-year strategic plan, the first, newly developed strategic plan that had been created since its original strategic plan when founded
April 26, 2026
The U.S. End FGM/C Network co-hosts an official pre-conference event “United for Action: Global Solidarity to End FGM/C”, alongside the Global Platform for Action to End FGM/C at Women Deliver 2026 in Naarm (Melbourne), Australia