Third Time’s a Charm: Washington, D.C. Passes Bill to Ban FGM/C

 

Posted:  December 18. 2024

The U.S. End FGM/C Network is thrilled to join survivors, activists, advocates, and councilmembers in celebrating the passing of B25-247. On October 7, 2024, The Council of The District of Columbia enacted Act 25-559, the “Female Genital Mutilation Prohibition Act of 2024”. The Network provided written testimony to the Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety in support of the bill on June 28, 2023. 

The bill, introduced by Councilmember Pinto and co-introduced by Councilmembers Frumin, Henderson, Nadeau, Allen, and Gray, on April 13, 2023, properly defines and prohibits female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) of any person, provides an essential education and outreach campaign through the Department of Health, and provides survivors the option of civil action.

The DC Metropolitan area ranks second in the United States for the number of women and girls at risk for FGM/C, with estimates over 51,000. 

Washington, D.C. is the final metropolitan area in the DMV region to pass a bill prohibiting FGM/C. Maryland passed MD Health-Gen Code § 20-601 in 1998, while Virginia enacted Va. Code §§ 8.01-42.5 and 18.2-51.7 in 2018, followed by Va. Code § 22.1-207.1:1 in 2019. Previous attempts to pass legislation against FGM/C in Washington D.C. included B23-0339 (2019-2020) and B24-0516 (2021).

Washington, D.C. is setting an example for the rest of the country, where 9 states still lack FGM/C legislation. 

Although there is a federal law against FGM/C in the United States, it is essential to have laws at the municipal and state levels, where health, child protection, education, law enforcement, and social services are provided. Additionally, training first responders and service providers on this issue and their responsibilities in enforcing the law is crucial.

Furthermore, state and municipal laws address gaps left by federal legislation and offer a holistic and comprehensive strategy to end FGM/C. This includes providing education and outreach, imposing bans on transporting girls out of state for FGM/C, and allowing survivors the opportunity to advocate for themselves in a court of law if they choose to do so. The “Female Genital Mutilation Prohibition Act of 2024” addresses all of these gaps. 

“As an advocate, I am delighted to hear that Washington, D.C. is finally about to pass a law that criminalizes FGM/C in the District. It has been a long time coming, and I congratulate everyone involved in making this possible. I recall testifying a couple of years ago in support of getting the law passed in the District of Columbia. Come on, D.C., let’s get this done. Congratulations to the District of Columbia on Bill 25-0247 (Act A25-0559)!” – Angela Peabody, Executive Director and Founder, Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation, DMV Coalition Member.

“The DMV coalition to end FGM/C applauds the efforts of the DC government in passing B25-247. This act recognizes FGM/C as a form of child abuse that must be addressed not only as a legal issue but one that requires community action and education to shift the cultural norms that serve to shroud FGM/C in silence. We look forward to working with DC Health to develop and disseminate survivor informed informational and educational resources” – Dr. Karen McDonnell, Associate Professor at George Washington University, DMV Coalition Member.

Ms. Peabody and Dr. McDonnell are members of The DMV Area Coalition to End FGM/C, a survivor-informed coalition working to protect children and support those that have experienced FGM/C in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV). In addition to advocating for anti-FGM/C legislation in the District of Columbia, members are working to amend Maryland’s current FGM/C law to include a ‘vacation cutting’ provision, as well as adding in provisions for education and outreach programs addressing FGM/C. The coalition is also dedicated to ensuring the effective implementation of both of Virginia’s anti-FGM/C laws, including the educational provision.

The bill was transmitted to Congress for review on October 15, 2024 and is expected to become law within 60 legislative calendar days.

We look forward to following the implementation of this robust bill, which will protect children at risk of undergoing FGM/C and support survivors.