Only 41 States currently have laws against FGM (updated as of August 2023).
States which do not yet have laws against FGM: Alabama, Alaska, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, and New Mexico, in addition to the District of Columbia (Washington D.C.).
STATES WITH LAWS AGAINST FGM:
| State | Applicable law | No. of women and girls in the state affected by FGM | Applies to all women and girls (and not limited to minors) | Parent/ Guardian and circumciser subject to prosecution | “Vacation provision” banning travel outside the state for FGM | Cultural/ ritual reason and/or consent not a defense | Provisions for community education and outreach | Statute of Limitations | Good Practice Provisions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | A.R.S § 12-513, 13-705, 13-1214, 13-3620 Effective 4/24/2014 | 7459 | ✔ | 7 years | Mandatory Reporting provisions; civil remedy for damages | ||||
| Arkansas | A.C.A. § 5-14-135, 12-18-103, 16-118-116, 17-80-121, 20-82-101, 20-82-102 Effective Mar. 26, 2019 | 551 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | 3 years starting at 18 | Civil remedy; annual reporting; exception for gender-affirming surgery; accountability for medical professionals | |
| California | Cal. Pen. Code § 273a, 273.4 Passed in 1996; Effective 1/1/1997 | 56,872 | ✔ | ✔ | 2 years | ||||
| Colorado | Col. Rev. Stat. § 18-6-401 Effective 5/24/1999 | 8705 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | No Limit | Doctor-patient and husband-wife privileges are inapplicable in prosecutions for FGM | ||
| Delaware | Del. Code Tit. 11, § 780 Effective 7/3/1996 | 2238 | ✔ | ✔ | No Limit | ||||
| District of Columbia (Washington D.C.) | Washington D.C.’s law passed and became effective on April 18, 2025. | 51,411 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | After the survivor reaches 18 years of age | Private cause of action/civil remedy; mandatory reporting; exception for gender affirming surgery. |
| Florida | Fla. Stat. § 794.08 Effective 10/1/2018 | 11,180 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | 8 years from the age of 16 | |||
| Georgia | O.C.G.A. § 16-5-27 Effective 7/1/2005 | 20,476 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | 7 Years. | Husband-Wife and other statutory privileges are inapplicable in prosecutions for FGM | ||
| Idaho | Id. Stat. §18-1506B Effective 7/1/ 2019 | 566 | ✔ | ✔ | 3 years after date of initial disclosure to law enforcement | ||||
| Illinois | 720 Ill. Comp. Stat. 5/12-34 Effective 1/1/1998, as amended 8/9/2019 | 12,039 | ✔ | ✔ | 3 years (no limit if the victim is under the age of 18) | ||||
| Indiana | IC § 35-42-2-10; IC 16-19-13-8, as added by P.L.51-2021 | 5251 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | 5 Years | Medical license revocation; mandatory reporting | |
| Iowa | I.C.A. § 708.16, Passed 5/1/2019 | 5142 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | 3 Years | Education provisions includes protocol for physicians to provide treatment for survivors | ||
| Kansas | K.S.A. § 21-5431 Enacted 4/10/2013 | 3171 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | 10 years ( If the survivor was under the age of 15 when the crime occured the period will start after reahing 28 years) | |||
| Kentucky | K.R.S 508.125; 15.334 Effective 4/2/2020 | 1845 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | No Limit | civil remedy for damages; mandatory revocation of license; mandatory reporting; data collection/statistical reporting | |
| Louisiana | La. R.S. 14:43.4 Effective 8/1/2012 | 1524 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | 4 Years | |||
| Maryland | Md. Code Health-Gen. § 20-601, 602 Effective 4/28/1998 | 31,820 | ✔ | ✔ | No Limit | ||||
| Massachusetts | Chapter 149 of Acts of 2020 Effective 8/6/2020 | 14,211 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | 6 Years | Mandatory reporting; civil remedy for damages; promotes inter-agency partnerships to prevent FGM | ||
| Michigan | MI ST 750.136; 750.136a 333.9159 Effective 10/9/2017 | 10,493 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | 10 years or till the survivor turns 21, whichever is earlier | medical license revocation | |
| Minnesota | Minn. Stat. § 144.3872, 609.2245; Effective 8/1/1995 | 44,293 | ✓ | ✔ | ✔ | 3 Years | |||
| Missouri | Mo. Rev. Stat. § 568.065 Passed 7/13/2000 | 4043 | ✔ | ✔ | No Limit | ||||
| Nevada | Nev. Rev. Stat. § 200.5083 Effective 6/26/1997 | 7457 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | Until the victim turns 36 (or 43 years of age in cases of lack of knowledge) | |||
| New Hampshire | N.H. Rev. Stat. § 632-A:10-d Effective Jan. 1, 2019 | 403 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | After turning 36 years of age, if the victim knew or reasonably should have known about [the FGM] by that date; or by the age of 43 if [the FGM] could not reasonably have been discovered or known by the age of 36. | |||
| New Jersey | N.J. Stat. § 2C:24- 10 Effective 1/17/2014 | 31, 023 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | 5 Years | |||
| New York | N.Y. Penal Law § 130.85 Effective 11/1/1997; N.Y. Public Health Law § 207(k) Effective 11/20/2015 | 48, 418 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | 5 years (only begins to run when victim turns 23 if not reported earlier) | |||
| North Carolina | NC ST § 14-28.1 Effective 10/1/2019 | 9399 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | No Limit | |||
| North Dakota | N.D. Cent. Code § 12.1-36-01 Effective 8/1/1995, Amended 4/5/2019. | 531 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | 3 years of offence or reporting to law enforcement, whichever is later | |||
| Ohio | OH ST § 2903.32 Amended 4/5/2019 | 24,320 | ✔ | ✔ | 6 years after victim turns 18 (unless law enforcement was notified earlier) | ||||
| Oklahoma | 21 Okl. St. § 760 Effective 11/1/2009 | 1788 | ✔ | ✔ | 3 Years | ||||
| Oregon | Or. Rev. Stat. § 163.207 Effective 7/15/1999; 431A.600 Added 2019 | 2647 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | 3 Years | |||
| Pennsylvania | 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 3132 Passed 6/28/2019 | 19,480 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | 2 years after the victim turns 18 | |||
| Rhode Island | R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-5-2 Effective 7/3/1996 | 2754 | ✔ | 3 Years | |||||
| South Carolina | Code 1976 § 16-3-2210-2240, Passed May 16, 2019 | 1480 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | No Limit | Permanent revocation of medical license | ||
| South Dakota | S.D.C.L. §§ 22-18- 37, 22-18-38, 22- 18-39 Effective 3/10/2015 | 1019 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | 7 Years | |||
| Tennessee | Tenn. Code § 39-13-110 Effective 7/1/1996, as amended, Effective 7/1/2019 | 8062 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | 4 years or until the victim reaches the age of 21, whichever occurs later | Civil remedy for damages; disciplinary action against healthcare practitioners who perform FGM | ||
| Texas | Tex. Health & Safety Code § 167.001, 2005 as amended 9/1/2017 | 33,087 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | 3 Years | |||
| Utah | U.C.A. 1953 § 76-5-701, 76-5-702, 76-5-703, 76-5-704 Passed Mar. 22, 2019 | 1769 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | 4 Years | Private cause of action/ civil remedy; medical professional disciplinary action; mandatory reporting; exception for gender affirming surgery | |
| Vermont | 13 V.S.A § 3151 Effective Feb. 27, 2020 | 650 | ✔ | ✔ | 3 Years | ||||
| Virginia | Va. Code §§ 8.01- 42.5, 18.2-51.7 Effective July 1, 2018. Va. Code § 22.1-207.1:1, Passed Feb. 22, 2019 | 30,830 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | No Limit | Civil remedy for damages | ||
| Washington | An ACT Relating to female genital mutilation | 25,000 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | 10 years (or up to the victim’s 28th year if the child was below 18 at the time of commission) | Civil remedy for damages; permanent revocation of license for healthcare providers; requirement for state to partner with stakeholders to prevent and address FGM | |
| West Virginia | W. Va. Code § 61-8D-3A Passed 2/23/1999 | 124 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | No Limit | |||
| Wisconsin | Wis. Stat. § 146.35 Effective 5/28/1996 | 2144 | ✔ | ✔ | 6 Years | ||||
| Wyoming | W.S. § 6-1-104; 6-2-502; 1-1-139; 35-25-401 Effective 7/1/2020 | 438 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | No Limit | Civil remedy available, medical professional disciplinary action/license revocation, mandatory reporting. |
This table was produced in collaboration between the End FGM/C U.S. Network and Equality Now.
Learn more about FGM in the US
