,h4 ,,res4 #ajf  ,in the ,house of      
,representatives1 ,u4 ,s41  ,may #bj1   
#bjai  ,,resolution  ,whereas female    
genital mutilation_/cutting 7,,fgm_/,c7 
is recognized internationally as a      
violation of the human rights of women  
and girls2 ,whereas ,,fgm_/,c comprises 
all procedures that involve partial or  
total removal of the external female    
genitalia1 or other injury to the female
 genital organs for nonmedical reasons2 
,whereas an estimated #bjj million girls
 and women alive today have been victims
 of ,,fgm_/,c1 with girls #ad and       
younger representing #dd million of     
those who have been cut2 ,whereas more  
than #c million girls are estimated to  
be at risk of ,,fgm_/,c annually2       
,whereas the practice is mostly carried 
out on young girls between infancy and  
age #ae2 ,whereas the practice is rooted
 in gender inequality and is often      
linked to other elements of gender-based
 violence and discrimination1 such as   
child marriage2 ,whereas the ,world     

,health ,organization asserts that      
,,fgm_/,c has no health benefits for    
women and girls1 and can have long-term 
impacts on their physical1              
psychological1 sexual1 and reproductive 
health2 ,whereas the impacts of         
,,fgm_/,c on the physical health of     
women and girls can include bleeding1   
infection1 obstetric fistula1           
complications during childbirth1 and    
death2 ,whereas1 according to ,,unicef1 
,,fgm_/,c is reported to occur in all   
parts of the world1 but is most         
prevalent in parts of ,africa1 the      
,middle ,east1 and ,asia2 ,whereas1     
although the practice of ,,fgm_/,c is   
highly concentrated in specific regions 
and associated with several cultural    
traditions1 it is not tied to any one   
religion2 ,whereas1 in #bjaf1 the       
,centers for ,disease ,control and      
,prevention published a report          
estimating that #eac1jjj women and girls
 in the ,united ,states were at risk or 
may have been subjected to ,,fgm_/,c2   

,whereas1 in #bjae1 the ,united ,nations
 adopted a set of #ag ,sustainable      
,development ,goals for #bjcj that      
includes a target to eliminate          
,,fgm_/,c1 having previously recognized 
in #bjaj that the abandonment of this   
harmful practice can be achieved as a   
result of a comprehensive movement that 
involves all public and private         
stakeholders in society2 ,whereas the   
elimination of ,,fgm_/,c has been called
 for by numerous intergovernmental      
organizations1 including the ,african   
,union1 the ,european ,union1 and the   
,organization of ,islamic ,cooperation1 
as well as in #c resolutions of the     
,united ,nations ,general ,assembly2    
,whereas the ,department of ,state      
reports on ,,fgm_/,c in its ,annual     
,country ,reports on ,human ,rights     
,practices1 including information on    
whether ,,fgm_/,c is prevalent1 the type
 and category of genital cutting that is
 most common1 as well as international  
and governmental efforts being taken to 

address the practice2 ,whereas the      
,federal ,government recognized         
,,fgm_/,c as a form of gender-based     
violence in the ,united ,states         
,strategy to ,prevent and ,respond to   
,gender-,based ,violence ,globally1     
released in ,august #bjab and updated in
 ,june #bjaf1 and the ,united ,states   
,global ,strategy to ,empower           
,adolescent ,girls1 released in ,march  
#bjaf2 ,whereas a ,government           
,accountability ,office report released 
in #bjaf concluded that ,state and      
,,usaid currently have limited          
international assistance efforts to     
address ,,fgm_/,c42 and ,whereas1 in    
#bjab1 the ,united ,nations ,general    
,assembly designated ,february #f as the
 ,international ,day of ,zero ,tolerance
 for ,female ,genital ,mutilation to    
enhance awareness of and encourage      
concrete actions by states and          
individuals against the practice3 ,now1 
therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of    
,representatives--  7#a7 denounces      

female genital mutilation_/cutting as a 
violation of the human rights of women  
and girls2  7#b7 affirms the importance 
of ending the practice of female genital
 mutilation_/cutting globally for the   
safety and security of women2  7#c7     
calls upon the international community  
to increase efforts to accelerate the   
elimination of female genital           
mutilation_/cutting2 and  7#d7 urges the
 ,department of ,state and the ,united  
,states ,agency for ,international      
,development in their gender programming
 to incorporate coordinated efforts to  
eliminate female genital                
mutilation_/cutting4  ,clerk4