• The US Congress is soon expected to vote on H.R. 3492, titled “Protect Children’s Innocence Act,” initially introduced by the House of Representatives on May 19, 2025. The bill proposes amending 18 U.S. Code § 116, which prohibits FGM, by expanding its scope to include gender-affirming care for anyone under the age of 18. The bill defines such care as “genital mutilation” and seeks to criminalize a range of gender-affirming interventions, thereby politicizing public health, stigmatizing trans and gender-diverse individuals, and putting legal protections from FGM at risk.

  
  

• For the first time, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights has ruled that the climate crisis is a human rights crisis. This groundbreaking case reinforces what we at Equality Now have long known: systemic threats like climate change disproportionately affect women and girls, and demand legally binding solutions. The decision sets a powerful precedent for gendered climate accountability.

  
  

• As we marked 22 years of the Maputo Protocol, one of the strongest frameworks for women’s rights globally, we are still seeing how several countries continue to undermine its power through selective reservations. This isn’t just a policy failure, it’s a direct obstruction to justice. We must call out legal commitments that are treated as optional, especially when they concern the lives and rights of African women and girls.

• Legal gaps leave survivors unprotected: In the United States, while Congress prepares to vote on H.R. 3492, the bill that dangerously aims to misuse the federal FGM/C law to target gender-affirming care, the state of Connecticut recently missed a critical opportunity to ban FGM. Despite survivor advocacy and strong public support, the bill failed to pass before the legislative session closed, leaving girls in the state without legal protection.

  
  

• FGM’s harms continue across borders: Among Sudanese migrants in Egypt, women are speaking out about the physical and psychological pain they continue to live with. These testimonies highlight how the impact of FGM transcends geography, affecting displaced communities that are too often left behind by health and justice systems.

• Omissions in national law reinforce impunity: In Sierra Leone, the newly passed Child Rights Act Bill notably excluded a provision banning FGM. This sends a dangerous message and weakens protection mechanisms, even as local coalitions continue to push for stronger safeguards, including through legal action.

• Global mechanisms are still falling short: At the 2024 UN Universal Periodic Review for Iran, many of Equality Now’s recommendations, especially on legal equality and harmful practices, were echoed by reviewing states, marking a welcome step forward. However, FGM was notably absent from the final recommendations, despite documented evidence of its occurrence. This gap reinforces the need to ensure all forms of gender-based violence, including FGM, are explicitly addressed in international legal mechanisms.

• East Africa policy brief

• Sudanese diaspora findings in Egypt

• Colombia policy brief

• In New York, in the United States, Equality Now is actively engaging in the UN’s High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) to push for greater integration of gender equality and legal reform across the Sustainable Development Goals.
  Also in the United States, Missouri has officially banned child marriage under the age of 18, closing dangerous loopholes and joining the growing movement across the U.S.

• Rosina and Maggie, two women who were subjected to prostitution while they were still children, are seeking justice in Malawi, a country where the law still fails to recognize survivors of sexual exploitation as victims. We’re supporting efforts to hold perpetrators accountable and reform the law so that no child is criminalized for their own exploitation.

• Despite some progress, child marriage remains deeply entrenched in Southern Africa. In Zimbabwe, we’re urging governments to strengthen enforcement, close legal loopholes, and invest in education and community awareness, especially in rural areas where the risks are highest.

  
  

• In South Asia, we marked one year of the South Asian Movement for Justice (SAMAJ), a regional coalition uniting partners across five countries to end sexual violence. As secretariat, Equality Now is proud to stand alongside survivors, lawyers, and activists who are challenging laws, shifting systems, and amplifying voices. This is only the beginning. Learn more about SAMAJ.

Overcoming barriers: supporting women and girls with disabilities in rape cases in South Asia

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