[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 85 (Tuesday, May 21, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E645-E646]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




DENOUNCING FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION/CUTTING AS VIOLATING HUMAN RIGHTS 
                           OF WOMEN AND GIRLS

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 20, 2019

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 
106 denouncing female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and urging the 
international community and the Federal Government to increase efforts 
to eliminate this harmful practice.
  Female genital mutilation is a clear human rights violation and must 
be ended immediately.
  In many parts of the world, female genital mutilation is still 
performed by a religious leader, town elder, or a medical professional 
with limited training using crude instruments which can include broken 
glass, kitchen knives, and razor blades, however, antiseptics and 
anesthesia are rarely used.
  Leaving these young women, many of which are between the ages of 4 
and 13, susceptible to elevated risk of HIV transmission, hemorrhaging, 
chronic pelvic inflammation, septicemia, and delayed menarche.
  In about 15 percent of cases, infibulation, the most severe form of 
FGM/C, involves the removal of the labia and the suturing together of 
the vulva.
  This practice may place the victim's life at risk and victims of 
infibulation must be cut open to have intercourse and may be repeatedly 
opened and closed at the husband's will to ensure fidelity.
  The practice of FGM/C abroad has persisted due to strong 
sociocultural influences which ensure that it is secretly done and 
underreported.
  And despite many international efforts, anti-FGM/C legislation has 
not ended the practice in many countries.
  FGM/C is still embraced by practitioners of all the major faiths--
Christianity, Islam and traditional worship on the contents of Africa, 
the Middle East, and Asia.
  In the past, the U.S., largely through the U.S. Agency for 
International Development (USAID), and the World Health Organization

[[Page E646]]

have made several recommendations designated to end the practice of 
FGM/C.
  However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 
an estimated 513,000 women and girls in the United States were at risk 
of, or had been subjected to, female genital mutilation, the United 
States must be a beacon against this type of immoral practice.
  That is why I, along with former Representative Joe Crowley, 
introduced the Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Act, 
supported by international human rights group Equality Now, that 
required the federal government to undertake a national study to 
provide data on and insight into the prevalence of FGM/C in the U.S. 
and establish a multi-agency strategy to bring the practice to an end.
  Following the introduction of the Zero Tolerance for Female Genital 
Mutilation Act, I partnered with 58 other members of Congress to pen a 
bipartisan letter to the State, Health & Human Services, and Education 
agencies, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the White 
House Office of Management and Budget, calling for a cross-agency plan 
to further fight FGM/C.
  This letter included requests for resources to help law enforcement, 
health workers, and educators detect the practice here the United 
States, plus a hotline for girls who may be in danger of mutilation.
  Given the abhorrent nature of this practice, states should have in 
place laws that require healthcare professionals, school employees, and 
other professionals who work with children to report any suspected 
practice of female genital mutilation to the appropriate law 
enforcement entity.
  FGM/C is currently a crime in 26 States, including Michigan and 
Texas; it is also a Federal crime.
  Around the world, at least five girls are mutilated, cut, every hour, 
and an estimated 100 million girls and 140 million women worldwide are 
living with the consequences of FGM/C.
  Even though, FGM/C has been banned in the United States, since 1996, 
people continue to engage in this abusive practice.
  It is with great concern that I stand before you today, still 
fighting to eradicate the practice of FGM/C globally.
  Even more concerning is recently, The Justice Department stopped 
defending a federal prohibition on female genital mutilation making it 
difficult to combat this practice here at home.
  This recalcitrant act coincides with an emerging view inside the 
Justice Department that it is up to the Trump administration, not 
members of Congress, to decide whether a law has merit and should be 
enforced.
  The World Health Organization has asserted that FGM/C has no health 
benefits for women and girls, and can have long-term negative impacts 
on the physical, psychological, sexual, reproductive health, and to 
their general well-being.
  We cannot be indifferent to this human rights violation that puts so 
many lives at risk, here in the United States, and around the world.
  H. Res. 106 makes clear that this practice is rooted in gender 
inequality, gender-based violence, and discrimination.
  It affirms our dedication to protecting women and girls globally and 
will help us accelerate eradication and improve access to care for 
survivors of this practice.
  Because this intolerable practice has no medical benefits, it has no 
place in our society, and those who commit these horrendous crimes 
should be held accountable for their actions.
  I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this 
clearly bipartisan resolution.
  Put aside partisanship and protect our women and girls from this 
painful and archaic practice.

                          ____________________