In an effort to stem the tide of female genital mutilation rates in the United States, members of the House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill aimed at holding offenders accountable.
The bill, called “Stopping Abusive Female Exploitation Act” or SAFE seeks to triple the criminal penalties for anyone mutilating the genitals of girls and women. Federal law currently imposes a 5-year prison sentence and the new legislation would put the heinous offenders behind bars for 15 years. The federal law would also task states with reporting female genital mutilation incidents to federal authorities.
Sponsored by Rep. Dave Trott, R-Michigan, the move was prompted by three separate incidents and arrests in his home state. Those charged included two Michigan doctors, an accomplice, and a pair of 7-year-old girls were the victims of this extremist brand of Islam. The girls reported being tricked about what was going to happen to them.
“This appalling and brutal practice has no place in Southeast Michigan, or the United States, and today we make it clear to Americans and the rest of the world that these heinous acts will not be tolerated,” Rep. Trott reportedly posted on Facebook after the bill passed the House.
In this heavily divided and politically-charged environment, rarely can lawmakers all agree on policy. However, they were quick to support the health and welfare of young girls and women and passed it without exception.
“Evident in the bipartisan effort is the fact that protecting little girls from the horrors of female genital mutilation is a universal issue,” Elizabeth Yore, an attorney who worked to get the bill passed reportedly said. “The House has recognized that female genital mutilation is an exponentially growing threat in the U.S.”
Female genital mutilation is a rampant religious practice in some predominately Muslim countries. The World Health Organization estimates that upwards of 200 women and young girls have been subjected to this violent act worldwide. In the United States, more than 500,000 females are considered at risk, according to the Center for Disease Control.
Female genital mutilation involves cutting out a young girl’s clitoris and having her vagina stitched closed. The practice is meant to secure female chastity in predominately Muslim religious practices. Women are often rendered unable to derive pleasure from sexual intimacy for the remainder of their lives. It is closely associated with a grotesque and distorted interpretation of Islam.
Based on a 2013 UNICEF report that delved into the practiced in 29 nations, Egypt and Somalia have the highest rates of female genital mutilation in the world. Upwards of 90 percent of all women and girls in these Muslim countries have been disfigured. As many as 27.2 million have been mutilated in Egypt alone. Although some countries have slowed the practice, the World Health Organization estimates that as many as 3 million females are endangered each year.
In Nigeria, more than 90 percent of the girls effected were under the age of 4 years old. In countries such as Mali, Ghana and Somalia, the vast majority are between 5-9 years old, according to reports by the World Health Organization.
Despite the imminent threat to young girls on American soil, Maine Democrats recently thwarted a Republican-sponsored piece of legislation to criminalize this unique assault on young females. The proposed legislation was prompted after recognizing that a high number of Somalia refuges had settled in the New England state and increased penalties and awareness were needed. Maine Rep. Heather Sirocki introduced the bill and was astonished by the resistance.
“I believe they are more afraid of offending someone than they are in protecting little girls,” Sirocki reportedly said. “We believe the immigrant population is vulnerable.”
The pair of Detroit doctors, including Dr. Jumana Nagarwala who allegedly disfigured two 7-year-old girls, plan to cite the practice as a part of their religious freedom. They claim that by altering the young girls in a clinical environment, it is the equivalent of circumcision and not a mutilation. These criminal defendants have been charged by the FBI are members of the Dawood Bohra Indian sect. Several women have come forward to denounce the practice. They have gone into great detail expressing the permanent harm they have endured as a result of being maimed in this fashion.
The U.S. Senate is expected to take up the SAFE act and Pres. Trump is likely to sign the legislation into law once it reaches his desk.
~ Christian Patriot Daily
