Female Genital Mutilation Essay

Female genital mutilation (FGM), sex-selected abortion, and son preference and its damaging effects on the physical and mental health of the girl child, amongst a plethora of other malicious practices has brought the issue of harmful traditional practices affecting women to the forefront of international debate. The United States, being one of the largest providers of humanitarian assistance, is appalled by the lack of effort put into fighting these malicious practices. These traditions not only plague the world but America itself. Over half a million women and girls in the U.S. are at a risk of undergoing or have already undergone FGM, most of these girls under the age of 18. Not only that, but son preference has devalued the life of the girl child, showing through the vast majority of immigrants in America that use sex-selective abortions. The effects of these harmful traditions done on women are more prominently seen worldwide. In current times, India and China eliminate more girls than the number of girls born in America each year. Globally, around 130 million women and girls are living with the effects from FGM and around 3 million undergo the procedure annually, according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The practice, known to be performed

Many states and large cities in the U.S. have also banned sex-selective abortions, reducing female feticide in the states. FGM has been a crime under federal law since 1996 and is punishable by up to five years in prison. In 2013, the Transport for Female Genital Mutilation Act amended this law to outlaw “vacation cutting,” the practice of taking a girl overseas for the procedure. America also wholeheartedly supports resolution A/RES/48/104 (1993) United Nations General Assembly, Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against