CT Coalition to End FGM/C, Hartford, CT Videos

In this short clip from the webinar ‘Moving Connecticut Ahead: Protecting Girls from Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting’, Martine Dherte, the Director of Refugee Services at the Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants, speaks about how because there is a lack of reporting when female genital cutting (FGC) occurs, it can lead to people turning a blind eye to this issue in Connecticut and the United States as a whole. She encourages us to recognize that FGC is an issue in the U.S.

In this short clip from the webinar ‘Moving Connecticut Ahead: Protecting Girls from Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting’, Faith Vos Winkel, formerly from the Office of the Child Advocate, speaks about the secrecy of female genital cutting and how that secrecy makes it challenging to address this harmful practice in Connecticut. Yet, she says, once we “pull back the curtain” we can create change in the state and protect future generations from this harm.

In this short clip from the webinar ‘Moving Connecticut Ahead: Protecting Girls from Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting’, Michelle Dumas Keuler from Housing, Training and Appeals divisions of the Legal Division and Commission Counsel with the State of Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities explains how laws in Connecticut have been used to protect vulnerable groups to ensure their human rights are protected. This should undeniably extend to those who are at risk of female genital cutting

In this short clip from the webinar ‘Moving Connecticut Ahead: Protecting Girls from Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting’, moderator Steve Hernandez from CT Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity eloquently speaks to the fact that community social norms can be difficult to address, including the social norm of female genital cutting. However, when it comes to the risk of harm, the human rights of individuals should be protected through policy solutions.

In this short clip from the webinar ‘Moving Connecticut Ahead: Protecting Girls from Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting’, Zehra Patwa from WeSpeakOut speaks to the need for legislation built through the lens of cultural sensitivity to protecting girls from FGM/C with legislation.