New Hampshire Moves One Step Closer to Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation

CONCORD, N.H., March 19, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Lt. Col. Samantha Nerove, USA, Ret., CEO of America Matters and Executive Director of the #StopFGM Coalition, will testify at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing for proposed New Hampshire bill "HB 1739 prohibiting female genital mutilation (FGM)" on Tuesday, March 20, 2018. Introduced to the House in November 2017 by Rep. Victoria Sullivan, the bill was passed unanimously by the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee at the end of January 2018. Having passed the NH House of Representatives on February 8, the bill now moves on to the Senate.

"New Hampshire is one step closer to criminalizing FGM. More importantly, they are one step closer to protecting at-risk girls. Laws don't stop crimes from occurring, but without a law it's not a crime and that makes it tough to stop wrongful actions," says Nerove.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, over 500,000 girls are at risk or have undergone FGM in America. A violation of human rights and an act of gender-based violence against women, FGM causes girls and women serious, lifelong physical and emotional pain.

America Matters and the #StopFGM Coalition fully support states and lawmakers who are actively working to protect these girls. People can support the movement to enact state laws by contacting their state representatives and signing the #StopFGM petition to tell policy makers to enact laws now.

Samantha Nerove is Founder/CEO of America Matters, a non-profit foundation that focuses on issues people care about not party or politics. She's a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel, paratrooper, and combat veteran. She will be in Concord, NH March 19-20, 2018 and is available for interview on FGM and state laws.

SOURCE America Matters