FGM/C in California: Past, Present & Future – Launching the California Coalition to End FGM/C   

On International Day of the Girl Child 2024, Equality Now, Sahiyo, the US End FGM/C Network, and the FGM Taskforce of Greater Los Angeles hosted a webinar titled “FGM/C in California: Past, Present, and Future.” Moderated by Mariya Taher, Executive Director at Sahiyo U.S., and Shivangi Misra, Global Legal Advisor at Equality Now, panelists discussed the prevalence of FGM/C in California, the gaps in the current laws against FGM/C, and the way forward in eradicating the practice.

Defining FGM/C in the California Context 

Female Genital Mutilation / Cutting (FGM/C) comprises all procedures that involve the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. It is a human rights violation, constituting torture and an extreme form of discrimination against women and girls. It is most often carried out on girls between infancy and age 15, although adult women may also be subjected to the practice.

In the state of California alone, a 2023 study found that 51,907 women and girls have undergone FGM/C, and an additional 2,940 girls are at risk. Mariya Taher emphasized that these numbers are likely gross underestimates given limitations in study designs and preconceived notions about which communities practice FGM/C.

The current law in California is not enough to effectively eradicate the practice

California was one of the first states to pass a law specifically prohibiting FGM/C in 1996. Shivangi Misra explained how the existing law on FGM/C in California calls for education and outreach initiatives, but places them in the context of “new immigrant populations that traditionally practice female genital mutilation,” which shows a lack of understanding of the fact that FGM/C transcends communities and cultures.

Misra noted that, despite being in place for 28 years, there have been no known prosecutions to date under the statute. Additionally, as the moderators reiterated, the statute is insufficient to effectively tackle the issue of FGM/C because it does not contain a vacation-cutting provision to ban travel outside the state for FGM/C or a provision to prohibit the use of religion, culture, or ritual as a defense. 

Sharing survivor stories is central to understanding drivers of FGM/C and working to eradicate the practice

In this context, the participants highlighted how the sharing of survivor stories is key to better understanding the contexts in which FGM/C occurs, the needs of those who have been subjected to the practice, and the unique ways in which it can be eradicated in different communities. 

Farrah, a survivor of FGM/C at 7 years old, shared how her cutting occurred in California before there was a law against the harmful practice. She juxtaposed the terrifying reality of being cut against the community celebrations subsequently held in her honor.

Importantly, the survivor also shared how a comprehensive state-level law could have spared her from FGM/C in the first instance. She emphasized that her family did not have the resources to send her away to be cut–a practice known as vacation cutting–and so, were there not two cutters practicing in her own community, her own FGM/C would not have occurred. A comprehensive state-level law, if properly implemented, could ensure this; “if you go after the cutters, they will be less likely to do the harmful practice” she noted.

Dr Nina Smart, Founder of SWF International, also reiterated the power of storytelling as a means of raising awareness of the different contexts in which FGM/C occurs and highlighting its lasting impact on survivors.

Activists must work for and within communities to end FGM/C 

Throughout the webinar, each speaker underscored the necessity of community understanding when seeking to combat FGM/C. Orchid Pusey, Executive Director of the San Francisco Asian Women’s Shelter, who is currently working on a three-year grant from the Office of Victims of Crime to address FGM/C, reiterated that being survivor-centered means respecting and loving the community you are seeking to impact. In this way, FGM/C is eliminated through means of love and wanting what is best for the community, not through othering and further ostracizing those who currently practice it. 

“If the space isn’t made for there to be a culturally grounded, culturally respectful, ‘we love our community, we’re against FGM/C,’ if that space isn’t cultivated, then all these little pockets where it’s happening will just stay little pockets.” – Orchid Pusey, Executive Director at Asian Women’s Shelter.

Similarly, Athia Carrim of the Greater LA FGM Taskforce and African Coalition spoke of the diversity of reasons why cutters practice and the need to shift our own narratives around FGM/C to think of new ideas to end the practice. She noted how there are “cutters who do this to feed their families,” those for whom the “practice has been romanticized,” and those who think it is in women and girls’ best interests to be cut. Regardless of the reasoning, it is not enough to simply tell cutters and community members that FGM/C is harmful when the practice is so ingrained. 

Where Do We Go From Here to Address FGM/C in California ?

Finally, each participant was asked what needs to be done to better address and eliminate FGM/C in California moving forward. Recommendations included to: 

• Continue cross-organizational collaboration as the center of systems advocacy. This is especially important as a coordinating body for smaller organizations or those without the staffing to conduct state-level advocacy work;
• Engage religious leaders, elders, and community leaders as active participants in the movement; these are people with the power to change perceptions within their communities;
• Work across a broad spectrum of communities, not just those in which we already know FGM/C is prevalent;
• Mobilize youth and student advocates who are eager to become politically active and push for change;
• Facilitate conversations with men; while FGM/C is only performed on persons assigned female at birth, men frequently have influence on its practice within the family or community;
• Continue to foster discussions like today’s webinar as a means of sharing ideas.

The California Coalition to End FGM/C, launched through this collaborative webinar, will be a central hub for organizations, survivors and other advocates working together to implement these recommendations. In bringing together the voices and resources of grassroots, national, and international organizations, the Coalition will take a leading role toward ending FGM/C in California. Together, we will engage with communities, amplify survivor stories, and promote education and prevention strategies.