Dear John,

Female genital mutilation (FGM) has no health benefits, it only causes harm, and 40 US states already have laws against it.  

However, Washington State still does not have a law against FGM despite the fact that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that there are 25,000 girls and women in Washington State living with or at risk of undergoing FGM. In fact, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area ranked as the 5th highest metro area in the US in terms of the size of the FGM-affected community. 

On 1st March 2023, Senate Bill 5453, which aims to address this problem, was unanimously passed by the Washington Senate. Now, the bill just needs to be passed by the House and signed by the Governor to become law.

If passed, this bill would criminalize FGM in Washington and introduce prevention measures, including community education. The bill is now coming up for hearing on Monday, March 13, before the House Committee on Safety, Justice, and Re-entry. 

We need your voice and support to ensure that this critical bill goes through! 

Write to State legislators in Washington and join Equality Now and the Washington Coalition to End FGM/C in urgently calling on Washington state to pass a law protecting children from FGM in the state.

In solidarity, 

Divya Srinivasan
Global Lead, End Harmful Practices