Senate approves criminal penalties for female genital mutilation
The Virginia Senate unanimously passed a bill that would criminalize the act of female genital mutilation by categorizing it as a class one misdemeanor. The bill was originally proposed by Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant, R-Henrico, but was later incorporated into bill SB1060, introduced by Sen. Dick Black, R-Leesburg. “It is estimated that over 200 million females around the world have undergone some form of FGM,” Dunnavant said. “Our state is listed as one where women and girls are at the highest risk of being victims. These statistics are alarming, and I think something needs to be done to address this issue here in the Commonwealth.” Read more here: