On October 22nd, the Biden-Harris Administration issued the first-ever national gender strategy to advance the full participation of all people – including women and girls – in the United States and around the world. The National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality incorporates female genital cutting (FGC) as a form of gender-based violence needing attention, clearly labeling it a “human rights abuse” and planning several courses of action to work towards ending it.
The Strategy recognizes that millions of women and girls are at risk of FGC, and that these human rights abuses occur domestically and abroad, which poses a global security issue. he Administration plans to “collaborate with state officials to prevent and address harmful practices that undermine human rights,” and “work with a broad array of leaders to promote programs that address harmful practices that undermine human rights.” Sahiyo commends the Biden-Harris Administration's important acknowledgement of this harmful practice, and looks forward to seeing how the strategy will be implemented through collaboration with domestic and international leaders to create change.