Connecticut lawmakers consider bill to ban female genital mutilation/ cutting
Anastasia Law, Equality Now, at the Connecticut public hearing to consider Senate Bill 259, March 2, 2026
Connecticut legislature reviews Bill 259 to criminalize FGM/C and expand state protections for girls in the largest unprotected at-risk community in the U.S.
A strong law against FGM/C in Connecticut is the first step in ensuring that no more little girls have to go through what too many of us have gone through.”
HARTFORD, CT, UNITED STATES, March 4, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Connecticut lawmakers are facing a critical opportunity to protect girls from female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). On Monday, March 2, 2026, the state legislature held a public hearing to consider Senate Bill 259, proposed legislation that would finally establish a state-level ban and provide essential protections for thousands of survivors and girls at risk. — Zehra Patwa, a FGM/C survivor and co-founder of We Speak Out
Connecticut remains one of just nine U.S. states, and only one of two in New England, without a law explicitly banning FGM/C. Over 2,500 women and girls have undergone or are at risk of FGM/C in Connecticut, making it the state with the largest at-risk population among those that have failed to enact protections.
Survivors and women’s rights advocates say the hearing marks a decisive moment in a long-running effort to close dangerous legal gaps and prevent this ongoing form of gender-based violence.
The bill was introduced in February 2026 by Democratic State Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, following years of sustained advocacy by a broad coalition of survivor leaders, community groups, medical professionals, and human rights organizations.
Following the hearing, Bill 259 must now be voted on by the Judiciary Committee and subsequently be called for a vote in both the state House and Senate. While similar proposals have been considered in past legislative sessions, supporters of the new bill are hopeful that this legislation will mark a renewed opportunity to move the issue forward and bring Connecticut in line with the majority of U.S. states that explicitly prohibit FGM/C.
CONNECTICUT’S LONGSTANDING LEGAL GAP ON FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION/ CUTTING
FGM/C involves partially or completely removing, or causing other injury to female genitalia for non-medical reasons, causing severe lifelong physical and emotional trauma. Girls are typically subjected to FGM/C between infancy and age 18, often without anesthesia and occasionally resulting in fatal outcomes. FGM/C is also associated with complications during pregnancy and increased rates of maternal and infant mortality.
Across the U.S., at least 577,000 women and girls are estimated to be at risk or affected by FGM/C. The legal gap in Connecticut leaves women and girls, including those transported to or from neighboring states or abroad for “vacation cutting,” without enforceable state-level protections.
An interactive map by Equality Now and the U.S. End FGM/C Network shares FGM/C legal provisions and gaps in every U.S. state. In addition to Connecticut, the eight other states without state-level legal protection against FGM/C are Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, and New Mexico.
Connecticut legislators have made six unsuccessful attempts to pass a law addressing FGM/C. Proposed bills in 2018, 2020, and 2021 aimed at prohibiting FGM/C or studying its prevalence did not progress beyond the committee stage, while in 2019, a bill was rejected by the State Senate. In 2024, a drafted bill failed to be introduced, and in 2025, a bill was never raised to the House floor for a vote during the legislative session.
During the hearing, Republican State Senator John A. Kissel was perplexed as to why this legislation hadn’t already been passed, commenting, “It's actually a very odd thing for Connecticut to have the federal government already have taken the field and protect people's rights, and to have 41 other states take the lead on this. We are an outlier. We're one of nine. And I don't know what it is about Connecticut that we just can't get this done.”
FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION/ CUTTING IS A GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUE
FGM/C is recognized globally as a severe form of gender-based violence and a violation of women’s and girls’ human rights. UNICEF estimates that 230 million women and girls are impacted by FGM/C globally. Equality Now and its partners have collated evidence of FGM in 94 countries, including the U.S. Only 59 have a specific law prohibiting the practice, and considerable improvement is needed to ensure better access to justice and support for survivors.
As a signatory to the international human rights treaty known as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the U.S. has an obligation to prevent FGM/C and protect all women and girls within its borders from human rights offenses.
While current U.S. federal law prohibits FGM/C through the STOP FGM Act, recent proposals like Congressional Bill H.R. 3492 wrongly conflate FGM/C with gender-affirming care, and seek to criminalize gender-affirming care for minors by expanding a law explicitly designed to protect women and girls from FGM/C, a move that risks undermining enforcement of anti-FGM/C protections for survivors nationally.
Strong state-level laws, like Connecticut’s proposed Senate Bill 259, are essential because state agencies and officials have far greater capacity than federal authorities to directly assist women and girls in local communities.
SENATE BILL 259 WOULD STRENGTHEN PROTECTIONS IN CONNECTICUT AGAINST FGM/C
If enacted, Senate Bill 259 would establish the crime of female genital mutilation in Connecticut and set higher safeguards for girls. The bill would also:
* Authorize a civil action by a victim of FGM/C;
* Allow testimony outside the courtroom for victims aged 12 or younger;
* Prohibit a victim from being automatically deemed incompetent to testify because of age;
* Waive parent-child immunity in FGM/C cases, enabling legal representatives to secure necessary parental testimony;
* Allow civil actions within 30 years after the victim reaches age 18.
Anastasia Law, Legal Advisor for North America at Equality Now, says that the provision allowing persons aged 12 or younger to testify outside the courtroom with a limited audience, or inside the courtroom with additional safeguards, is good practice. “The purpose of such a provision is to prevent, as much as possible, the retraumatization of a survivor during their testimony,” she explained.
COALITION OF ADVOCATES PUSHES FOR PASSAGE OF FGM/C BAN
Bill 259 is supported by the Connecticut Coalition to End FGM/C, a statewide alliance of organizations working to protect women and girls from this harmful practice and ensure survivor-centered justice. Coalition members include Equality Now, the U.S. End FGM/C Network, Sahiyo, the Connecticut Children’s Alliance, the Connecticut Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity & Opportunity, and community-based advocates across the state.
During the public hearing, Zehra Patwa, a FGM/C survivor and co-founder of We Speak Out, shared her testimony: “We are one of only nine states in the union that does not have a law banning FGM/C, which is clearly gender based violence and child abuse. A strong law against FGM/C in Connecticut is the first step in ensuring that no more little girls have to go through what too many of us have gone through and that survivors are offered a pathway to make things right.”
Law concluded, “I hope lawmakers can reflect on all of the survivor and expert testimony offered to them and vote the bill through. It's time for Connecticut to do more than condemn FGM/C with words, we need to take action.”
******************************************************************************
For more information on FGM/C, see ‘The Time Is Now: End Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting, An Urgent Need for a Global Response – Five Year Update,’ by Equality Now, The U.S. Network to End FGM/C, and the End FGM European Network.
https://equalitynow.org/news/press-releases/new-report-finds-female-genital-mutilation-cutting-in-94-countries/
For more information about gender sensitive reporting on FGM in the United States, please review our factsheet and reporting toolkit.
https://equalitynow.org/news/pressroom/write-for-rights-fgm/
ABOUT: Equality Now is a worldwide human rights organisation dedicated to securing the legal and systemic change needed to end discrimination against all women and girls. Since its inception in 1992, it has played a role in reforming 120 discriminatory laws globally, positively impacting the lives of hundreds of millions of women and girls, their communities and nations, both now and for generations to come.
Working with partners at national, regional and global levels, Equality Now draws on deep legal expertise and a diverse range of social, political and cultural perspectives to continue to lead the way in steering, shaping and driving the change needed to achieve enduring gender equality, to the benefit of all.
Mel Bailey
Equality Now
email us here
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
Bluesky
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
