Female Circumcision in the News

In what is thought to be the first U.S. court case involving female circumcision, an Ethiopian man in Georgia was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison for the genital mutilation of his 2 year old daughter in 2001.

Congress passed legislation in 1996 outlawing the practice of female genital mutilation (See Public Law 104-208, sections 644 and 645 on pages 709 and 710).

In 2001, the U.S. State Department issued a Report on Female Genital Mutilation as Required by Conference Report (H. Rept. 106-997) to Public Law 106-429.

For more information and for further research:

• U.S. Office of Women's Health: Female Genital Cutting
• World Health Organization: Female Genital Mutilation
• Center for Reproductive Rights: Female Genital Mutilation (FGM):Legal Prohibitions Worldwide
• Center for Reproductive Rights: Legislation on Female Genital Mutilation in the United States (October 2000 - Briefing Paper)

More information is available through Chinook, the University Libraries catalog.