(Newsweek) The House of Representatives has passed a bipartisan resolution denouncing the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) and recognizing it as a human rights violation against women and girls.
“Today we’re sending a clear message that every girl, no matter where she’s born, has a right to live free of violence,” Democratic Representative Lois Frankel, of Florida, who introduced the bill alongside Republican Representative Scott Perry, of Pennsylvania, said on Tuesday.
“This bipartisan resolution recognizes that FGM/C is a gross human rights violation holding women and girls back from reaching their full potential,” she said.
In their resolution, which passed unanimously with a 393 to 0 vote, which was co-sponsored by 28 congress members, lawmakers call on the U.S. government, as well as the international community, to undertake coordinated efforts “to eliminate the harmful practice.”
