,,iii  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session 
,s4 ,,res4 #did  ,,in ,,the ,,senate    
,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states  ,february 
#aj1 #bjbj,ms4 ,ernst 7for herself1     
,mrs4 ,blackburn1 ,mrs4 ,capito1 ,mrs4  
,hyde-,smith1 ,mrs4 ,loeffler1 ,mrs4    
,fischer1 and ,mr4 ,braun7 submitted the
 following resolution2 which was        
referred to the ,committee on ,foreign  
,relations  ,,resolution  ,denouncing   
female genital mutilation or cutting as 
a violation of the human rights of women
 and girls and urging the international 
community and the ,federal ,government  
to increase efforts to eliminate the    
harmful practice4  ,whereas female      
genital mutilation or cutting 7referred 
to in this preamble as ,,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    
genitalia or other injury to the female 
genital organs for nonmedical reasons2  

,whereas an estimated #bjj million girls
 and women alive as of ,january #bjbj   
have been victims of ,,fgm_/,c1 with    
girls under the age of #ae 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 of      
,,fgm_/,c is mostly carried out on young
 girls between infancy and age #ae2     
,whereas the practice of ,,fgm_/,c 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--  
7#a7 has no health benefits for women   
and girls2 and  7#b7 can have long-term 
impacts on the physical1 psychological1 
sexual1 and reproductive health of the  
women and girls who experience          
,,fgm_/,c2  ,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 the       
,united ,nations ,children's ,fund1     
,,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 of1
 or may have been subjected to1         
,,fgm_/,c2 ,whereas1 in #bjae1 the      
,united ,nations adopted a set of #ag   
,sustainable ,development ,goals that   
includes a target to eliminate ,,fgm_/,c
 by #bjcj1 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-- 7#a7 by numerous                 
intergovernmental organizations1        
including the ,african ,union1 the      
,european ,union1 and the ,organization 
of ,islamic ,cooperation2 and  7#b7 in  
#c resolutions of the ,united ,nations  
,general ,assembly2 ,whereas the ,annual
 ,country ,reports on ,human ,rights    
,practices prepared by the ,department  
of ,state include information on--  7#a7
 whether ,,fgm_/,c is prevalent2  7#b7  
the type and category of genital cutting
 that is most common2 and  7#c7         
international and governmental efforts  
to address the practice of ,,fgm_/,c2   
,whereas the ,federal ,government       
recognized ,,fgm_/,c as a form of       
gender-based violence in--  7#a7 the    
,united ,states ,strategy to ,prevent   
and ,respond to ,gender-,based ,violence
 ,globally1 released in ,august #bjab   

and updated in ,june #bjaf2 and  7#b7   
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_/,c2 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 of1 and encourage     
concrete actions by governments and     
individuals against1 the practice of    
,,fgm_/,c3 ,now1 therefore1 be it  ,that
 the ,senate-- 7#a7 denounces female    
genital mutilation or 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 or 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
 or cutting2 and  7#d7 urges the        
,secretary of ,state and the            
,administrator of the ,united ,states   
,agency for ,international ,development 
to incorporate coordinated efforts to   
eliminate female genital mutilation or  
cutting into the gender programs of the 
,department of ,state and the ,united   
,states ,agency for ,international      
,development1 respectively4