The AHA Foundation Blog

New Federal Law Strengthens Protections Against FGM: The AHA Foundation Supports the ‘Transport for Female Genital Mutilation Act’

Since its inception, the AHA Foundation has worked to prevent female genital mutilation (FGM) through advocacy, education and legislative reform.  Last week, President Obama significantly advanced these efforts when he signed into law the ‘Transport for Female Genital Mutilation Act’, which was passed as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act.  While FGM has been illegal in the United States since 1996, the Act strengthens the existing federal FGM ban by adding an “extraterritoriality” component, making it illegal to knowingly transport a girl out of the country for the purpose of undergoing the procedure.  This amendment was designed to address the all-too-common practice of “vacation cutting”, in which girls living in the United States are taken to their parents’ country of origin during school breaks to undergo the procedure. Those found guilty under the new legislation will be sentenced to up to five years imprisonment (the same penalty imposed on those who commit FGM within the United States). 

Senator Harry Reid and Representatives Joseph Crowley and Mary Bono Mack -- three legislators with a demonstrated commitment to women’s issues -- spearheaded the Transport for Female Genital Mutilation Act.   The AHA Foundation commends their efforts, and applauds the President for signing this bill into law.

FGM is a traditional practice that involves the partial or complete removal of female genitalia and causes lifelong physical and psychological harm.  The World Health Organization estimates that between 100 and 140 million girls and women have been subjected to FGM worldwide.   According to research conducted by the African Women’s Health Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA, approximately 228,000 women and girls living in the United States have undergone or are at risk of undergoing FGM. 

The AHA Foundation has consistently advocated for the expansion of FGM legislation to include procedures performed abroad.  For the past several years, we have lobbied for extraterritorial FGM bans to be enacted on both the state and federal levels.  Ayaan Hirsi Ali, founder of the AHA Foundation, and our Executive Director specifically consulted with Representative Crowley on the issue of “vacation cutting”, and expressed our support for the language contained in the new Bill. 

"The AHA Foundation and organisations like it are the first line of defence for victims of these horrific behaviours. They need the tools to do their job and any law that protects victims is welcome. FGM is an attack on womanhood, it's a terrible indictment of man and his attempt to control a woman or a girl's behaviour. It cannot be allowed to go unchallenged," said Nazir Afzal OBE, Director of the UK's Crown Prosecution Service.

While the AHA Foundation believes that the five-year maximum sentence is too lenient, we regard the Transport for Female Genital Mutilation Act as an important development in the ongoing struggle against FGM.  In response to the passage of the Bill, Hirsi Ali acknowledged the work that is yet to be done, saying "As we celebrate this victory we know that this Bill is only a first step." The Act sends a strong deterrent message to parents considering taking their daughters overseas for FGM, and reflects the global condemnation of FGM as a human rights violation and form of gender-based violence.  We acknowledge, however, that legislation alone will not eradicate this practice.  If we are truly committed to ending FGM, sufficient resources must be allocated to investigating and prosecuting instances of FGM, educating at-risk populations, and ensuring that victims have access to adequate support and assistance within their communities.   

In the words of Ayaan Hirsi Ali:  "I will not accept little girls in my country to be forced into marriage, or their genitals to be cut, for them to be pulled out of school, for them to be condemned to a life of submission or violence or death through an honor killing.  What you want for that girl is what you want for your own little girl.”

AHA Foundation Supporter Update

Chaz Akoshile, Joint Head of the UK's Forced Marriage Unit; Jasvinder Sanghera, founder of Karma Nirvana and Sabatina James, founder of Sabatina EV attend the AHA Foundation's International Women's Day and HONOUR Launch cocktail reception.

AHA Foundation staff have been hard at work during the first months of 2012 and we are pleased to report on our recent projects and accomplishments.

On November 17th, the AHA Foundation was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation from the U.S. State Department for our support and guidance in assisting victims of forced marriage.  We continue to work with the State Department on forced marriage and keep in regular contact with them about their efforts to combat forced marriages and how we can work together on this issue.

Our legislative efforts are successfully gaining traction.  We continue to receive positive feedback from federal legislators on our Violence Against Women Act proposal and have met with the offices of interested senators and representatives.  On the State level, we are thrilled to report that New Jersey State Senator Weinberg introduced our Female Genital Multilation bill.  That bill has now been introduced in both houses of the New Jersey legislature and appears to be on a track to passage.  A state legislator in Louisiana has also recently introduced an FGM bill.

We have initiated a substantial research project with The John Jay College of Criminal Justice that seeks to quantify the incidence of honor killings in the US, and forced marriages and FGM in New York City - something that has never before been done.  The honor killing portion of the study is moving along well and we expect to have at least preliminary results by early summer.  Additionally, we met with the students working on the forced marriage and FGM studies and are very impressed with the team.

We have identified a number of opportunities to provide training to law enforcement and child protective service professionals on honor violence and forced marriages and are working to create training materials on these topics.  This program will be a primer on these issues and provide basic information and best practices for handling cases of honor violence and forced marriage.

In February and March, we made significant progress toward creating a pilot national forced marriage hotline.  We are in contact with non-profit organizations from both the US and the UK, with whom we are planning to partner.  We are hopeful that this pilot will be up and running later this year.

Our Research Director has completed a nearly final draft on a report on Sharia law.  The report describes why Sharia law is problematic from the perspective of women's rights, explains why there is cause to be concerned about Sharia in the United States and other European countries, and proposes legislative remedies to prevent a proliferation of Sharia law. The report also analyzes what exactly Sharia is and why it tends to be resistant to change.

We continue to connect girls that contact us for help to appropriate services.  We recently helped a girl connect with a pro bono lawyer to help her avoid a forced marriage.

Last week, we attended the Women in the World Summit in New York City.  The AHA Foundation has been listed on the Women in the World Foundation website as a Solutions partner, which is a great spotlight for us.  As part of the conference, we hosted a cocktail party last Thursday evening to celebrate International Women's Day and launch our new HONOUR products.  To date, we have an HONOUR tote bag, tie, pink and white candles.  The cocktail reception was a major success, particularly in the caliber of guests who attended.  We were thrilled to host Jasvinder Sanghera, founder of Karma Nirvana; Chaz Akoshile, Joint Head of the UK's Forced Marriage Unit; Phyllis Chesler, honor violence scholar; and Sabatina James, forced marriage survivor and founder of Sabatina EV.

We have begun planning our Annual AHA Foundation Conference, which will be held in New York City at the end of September.  Last year's conference was a huge success and we are looking forward to an even bigger and better event this year!

We couldn't do all of our important work without your support.  To help us continue in our fight against the oppression of women and girls, please consider making a donation or purchasing one of our HONOUR products today.

The AHA Foundation 2011 Annual Report

 

New York, New York

December 2011 

Dear AHA Supporter:

We are pleased to present the AHA Foundation 2011 Annual Report.  We are very proud of our accomplishments this year and are delighted to share our ongoing initiatives with you. 

Over the past year, the AHA Foundation has continued its crucial work defending women in the West from oppression and violence perpetrated in the name of religion and culture.  Some highlights from our 2011 activities are as follows: 

• In June, we hosted the first-ever U.S. conference on the topics of honor violence and forced marriages. Ayaan Hirsi Ali, joined by experts from around the world, discussed these important issues before an audience that included representatives from the NYPD, FBI, District Attorney’s Offices, Mayor Bloomberg’s office, and various advocacy organizations.  The conference was widely publicized and participant feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

• The AHA Foundation has intensified its efforts to expand and strengthen federal and state legislation on issues such as female genital mutilation and domestic violence. We have drafted model legislation for states that have yet to specifically criminalize female genital mutilation and have also proposed an amendment to the federal Violence Against Women Act that would address honor violence.

• This fall, we initiated a substantial research project with The John Jay College of Criminal Justice that seeks to quantify the incidence of honor violence, forced marriages and female genital mutilation in the United States – something that has never before been done. Armed with the results of this study, the Foundation will be in a much stronger position to persuade government leaders to direct attention and resources to these issues. 

• The AHA Foundation has improved its public presence by introducing a new website and logo and further employing social media to attract and engage supporters. We have worked to promote the Foundation through media spots and public appearances, and developed several exciting new fundraising initiatives, including the sale of HONOUR branded products. 

As you can see, the AHA Foundation has had a busy and productive year.  I would like to thank you for your support and encourage you to visit the AHA Foundation website for more information about our ongoing initiatives.

Sincerely,

THE AHA FOUNDATION

 

MISSION STATEMENT

The AHA Foundation works to protect and defend the rights of women and girls in the West from violence and oppression justified by religion and culture.  We focus on issues such as honor killings, honor violence, female genital mutilation, forced marriage and child marriage, and the acceptance of Sharia law into Western legal systems.

PROGRAM UPDATES

The AHA Foundation has had a very busy and exciting year continuing our crucial efforts to protect and defend women and girls in the West from oppression and violence committed in the name of religion and culture.  We continue to divide our work into four categories:  inform, influence, investigate, and intervene. 

1. Inform

The AHA Foundation developed a number of projects and initiatives in 2011 to inform the public about violence and oppression of women in the U.S. justified by religion and culture.  On June 6^th, the AHA Foundation hosted the first-ever interdisciplinary conference on honor violence and forced marriages in the U.S.   More than 100 people attended the conference, which was held at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, including representatives from the NYPD, FBI, District Attorney’s Offices, NYC Mayor’s Office, advocacy organizations, domestic violence shelters and direct services organizations.  In addition to a keynote address by Ayaan, we brought in experts from around the world to educate our audience about these issues.   Nazir Afzal OBE, Director of the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service, traveled from London to give the keynote at our conference.  He discussed the UK’s response to honor crime, forced marriage and female genital mutilation.   The next speaker was Laura Reckart, lead prosecutor in Arizona v. Almaleki, the first case in the U.S. where an honor violence theory was successfully used to obtain a conviction of a father who murdered his daughter, along with Detective Chris Boughey, who led the investigation into the murder. They spoke in detail about the challenges they experienced throughout the investigation and the trial, including their disappointment with the verdict.  Finally, Sabatina James, a victim of forced marriage and founder of Sabatina EV, an award-winning German foundation set up to protect Muslim women from violence and oppression, told her story, including the problems she encountered when seeking help from shelters, police and government agencies.   A short video of conference highlights is available online.

The resounding success of the conference was exemplified by one attendee, who stood up to say that she would do her job at the DA’s office differently the next day, thanks to the information and awareness she gained at the conference. 

This is precisely the reason that we organized this conference and we are thrilled to have had such an impact on the law enforcement community in New York City.  We have been contacted by the Basildon Women’s Aid, a leader on Honor Violence in the UK, and asked to help replicate this conference in 2012 on the west coast of the U.S.

We have also focused attention on informing the general public about our key issues.  In July, we launched a new website showcasing the AHA Foundation’s updated logo and offering a more visually interesting and user-friendly destination for individuals to learn about our work and get involved. We have further increased our Internet presence though the use of social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter. Our followers on these sites have increased by 33% and 286%, respectively, over the last year.  We also continue to regularly send our email newsletter to subscribers, whose number increased 42% in 2011. 

We have directed particular attention to raising awareness among college students and energizing them to get involved.  This year, we created an AHA Foundation campus handbook, which provides details on how to start a campus chapter of the Foundation.  We have spoken with interested students at several colleges and expect to build a small network of college chapters over the next year. 

2. Influence

One of the most important elements of our work is to educate government officials about the fact that human rights violations such as honor violence, forced marriages, and female genital mutilation are taking place in the U.S.  We also work to persuade elected representatives and policymakers to prioritize the enforcement of existing laws that protect women’s rights and, where necessary, to create specific legislation to protect women from this violence. 

The AHA Foundation significantly expanded our presence in Washington D.C. this year.  In February, we had a table at the Conservative Political Action Conference, where we met many of Ayaan’s supporters, distributed materials about our signature issues, and networked with a number of young  activists.  We also held meetings in February with staff members from Senator Portman and Senator Kirk’s offices in which we introduced them to the Foundation and discussed our legislative priorities.   In May, we met with staff members from the House Judiciary Committee and presented our proposal to amend the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) to include honor violence.  In July, we sent letters to the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee urging them to consider our VAWA proposal.  We received an immediate response from one senator’s office, and have been working with her staff over the past several months on this proposal. 

In addition developing relationships with elected officials, we have also made a connection with the Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs on the issue of forced marriages.  In November, we were one of a few NGOs invited to participate in a roundtable discussion at the Department of State on the topic of forced marriages of U.S. citizens. 

At this meeting, we were presented with a Certificate of Appreciation from the Department of State in recognition of our work to combat the forced marriage of girls and women in the West.

We are also working to influence lawmakers on the state level.  One of our most important legislative initiatives is a strategic plan to criminalize female genital mutilation in every state.  Given the importance of denouncing and deterring this horrific practice, we find it shameful and unacceptable that only 19 states have made female genital mutilation (FGM) a specific criminal offence.   We have drafted model FGM legislation and have identified the states with the highest number of girls at risk that do not currently have an FGM law.  We have begun to engage state legislators, other elected officials, and advocacy groups in those states – beginning with New Jersey – as part of our campaign to enact FGM legislation in every state.

Only these 19 states currenly have laws against FGM.

3. Investigate

Perhaps no facet of our work is more important than our efforts to investigate and document cases of honor violence, forced marriages, and female genital mutilation in the U.S.  Because these crimes are not identified or tracked by any law enforcement agency, is it nearly impossible to assess the scope of these issues in the U.S. 

We are therefore thrilled to report that we have partnered with the John Jay College of Criminal Justice to conduct the first-ever study of the prevalence of honor violence, forced marriages, and female genital mutilation in the U.S. 

We anticipate that this study will definitively establish the presence of these human rights violations in the U.S.  With these results in hand, we will be in a much stronger position to persuade state and federal legislators to pass relevant legislation to protect women and girls and encourage government leaders to direct attention and resources to these issues.  We have also begun to receive data on these crimes from other sources, including the Queens County District Attorney’s Office, the New York Asian Women’s Center, and the New York State Bureau of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance. 

We have also commenced an academic research project exploring the harmful effects of Shariah law on women’s rights and attempts to institutionalize Shariah in the U.S.  In early 2012, we will be publishing a report documenting this research and issuing recommendations on how to prevent the dissemination and use of Shariah law in the U.S.

4. Intervene

Although the AHA Foundation is primarily an advocacy organization, we recognize our responsibility to help victims of these forms of violence when they reach out to us for assistance.  To this end, we established a “help” email address and regularly advertise on social networking websites that we are available to guide at-risk women and girls to appropriate service providers.  We are building a network of safe houses, social workers, attorneys, and organizations with experience assisting victims of abuse in the religious and cultural contexts.

In 2011, we were able to provide assistance and support to 13 individuals who reached out to us for help.

Our assistance included making referrals to emergency housing and services, providing information about legal options for addressing a particular issue, making referrals to local legal services and connecting individuals to appropriate government or law enforcement agencies. 

This year we also enhanced our resource directory by including at least one direct service provider in every state and providing contact information for national law enforcement organizations.

HONOUR FUND

In November, the AHA Foundation launched the HONOUR Fund, a project designed to raise money and awareness for the AHA Foundation as well as other key non-profit organizations that defend and protect women’s rights, promote women’s education, and are defining honor for women around the world.  We are now selling the first HONOUR products – a series of Vineyard Vines ties and tote bags as well as a soy candle.  The HONOUR brand has the potential to raise a substantial amount of money to support both the Foundation and other organizations that work to protect women’s honor around the world, as well as to raise awareness about the continued oppression of women and girls.

AHA IN THE NEWS

This year, the AHA Foundation made considerable progress raising awareness of our issues and enhancing our public profile.  Our media contacts in 2011 indicate that the AHA Foundation is now a reputable and widely recognized player in the struggle to protect the rights of women and girls. 

Early in the year, the Foundation’s publicity efforts were focused around the paperback book tour for Nomad.  Highlights included mentions on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 and In the Arena, as well as MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Reports.  In the spring, we worked towards publicizing our conference on honor violence and forced marriage through a press release distributed to hundreds of journalists and media outlets.  Representatives from FOX, CBS and People magazine attended the conference.  CBS has asked to use our footage from the conference and to interview Ayaan for an upcoming episode of 48 Hours that discusses the topic of honor violence and we are working with a major news magazine on a story about forced marriage in the U.S.   

Increase in social networking

New media played an important role in the publicity of the Foundation and our efforts this year.  Nicholas Kristof ‘retweeted’ one of the Foundation’s tweets to his 1.1 million followers, which led to an almost immediate 5% increase in our Twitter following.  Sam Harris used his Twitter feed to promote our honor violence conference, and the FrumForum blog posted an interview with Ayaan highlighting the event.  Additionally, we have been given a great opportunity by The Huffington Post Canada to highlight our issues by submitting blogs written by Ayaan, the first of which was published this fall.

Ayaan was also able to promote the Foundation at numerous speaking engagements this year. Appearances of note include the CPAC panel on Sharia law, a panel on France’s ban of the burka at the Daily Beast’s Women in the World Summit, and giving the opening address, “Honor Violence 101,” at the AHA Foundation’s conference on honor violence and forced marriages. Also this spring, Ayaan spoke at a Hearst Magazine management conference, which led to Ayaan being interviewed for an upcoming Redbook article on female genital mutilation.

AHA FINANCIALS

The AHA Foundation’s latest Form 990 is publicly available.  To review, please visit Guidestar.

Thank you for your support of the AHA Foundation and our important work.  We encourage you to visit our website to learn more about what we do and what you can do to help.

 

The AHA Foundation 2011 Annual Report is also available for download.

 

 

The AHA Foundation Launches HONOUR

The AHA Foundation is recognizing this year's 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, starting with the International Day Against Violence Against Women, and continuing through December 10th, International Human Rights Day.  The choice of these two dates to bookend the 16 Days of Activism is meant to emphasize that violence against women is a violation of human rights.

We would like to take this opportunity of highlighting women's rights around the world to launch an exciting initiative: the HONOUR Fund of the AHA Foundation.

WHY HONOUR?

Around the world, people have created strict constructions of what defines a woman's honor. These definitions often suggest that by making her own decisions, educating herself and creating her own destiny, a woman or girl has dishonored herself and her family. We want to ensure that women are the ones who define their OWN honor.

WHAT IS HONOUR?

The HONOUR Fund of the AHA Foundation will raise money and awareness for The AHA Foundation as well as other key non-profits who defend and protect women's rights, promote women's education, and are defining honor for women around the world.

When you make a donation to the HONOUR Fund, we will send you products that carry the HONOUR Fund logo which indicates that all profits from your merchandise go towards organizations around the world that support women's rights.

HONOUR TOTE BAGS

With your $115 donation to the HONOUR Fund of the AHA Foundation, we will send you a li mited-edition, Vineyard Vines HONOUR tote bag in the color of your choice (pink or navy).

HONOUR TIE

With your $95 donation to the HONOUR Fund of the AHA Foundation, we will send you an elegant, limited-edition, Vineyard Vines tie that gives men a chance to show that they honor the women in their lives! The tie comes in your color of choice (pink or navy).

HONOUR CANDLE

With donations of $40 to the HONOUR Fund of the AHA Foundation, we will send you a limited-edition, white, lavender-scented, 11 ounce, soy votive candle and coordinated gift box, all made in the U.S.A.

 

 

Global Night-In for AHA Event

November 13^th is a special day at the AHA Foundation; it’s the birthday of our founder, Ayaan Hirsi Ali!  In celebration of the occasion, the AHA Foundation asks you to join supporters across the globe to host a Night-In for AHA!

A Night-In for AHA is an opportunity for our supporters around the world to raise awareness of our issues and funds to help support our important work.  There are two ways for you to participate in this event:

Host A Night-In for AHA

• Invite friends to your home for a meal or a happy hour the weekend of November 11-13.

• During the evening, share information about the AHA Foundation and the crucial work we do to protect and defend the rights of women in the West from oppression justified by religion and culture.

• Ask your guests to make a donation in the amount they would have spent on a night out at a restaurant.

• Email us at rsvp@theahafoundation.org and let us know that you would like to host a party.

  • We will send you information about the foundation and our issues to share at your event.

  • We will provide instructions for how to submit the donations you collect, either via check, our website, or your own personalized website. 

-OR- 

Host a “Virtual” Dinner Party

• Set up your personal fundraising page using the AHA Foundation’s Night-In for AHA page on Crowdrise: http://www.crowdrise.com/nightinforaha/fundraiser/ahafoundation

• Share information about the AHA Foundation with your friends via email.

• Ask your friends to make a donation to support the work of the AHA Foundation using your Crowdrise page.

In celebration of Ayaan’s 42^nd birthday, we hope to raise $42,000.  All funds raised will honor Ayaan’s mission by helping to further the AHA Foundation’s work to protect women and girls from oppression justified by religion or culture.  If just 210 of our supporters raise $200 each, we will reach our goal.  To make your event as seamless as possible, a staff member of the AHA Foundation will be there to support you every step of the way. 

**Every host that raises more than $500 will receive an autographed copy of Nomad, Ayaan’s most recent book.  The host of the highest-earning party will receive a package of rare Ayaan Tulip bulbs and a gift card for an actual night out on us!

Please check out our official flyer for a Night-In for AHA.

We look forward to partnering with you to make our first Night-In for AHA a great success!

 

Thank You from The AHA Foundation!

Dear AHA Supporters,

We would like to thank those of you who took time to complete our supporter survey.  The high level of participation in our survey, as well as your thoughtful responses, made it clear that our supporters are extremely passionate about these issues and the Foundation’s work.   As the AHA Foundation looks to the future, we are going to need your passion to help us achieve our mission to protect and defend the rights of women and girls in the West from oppression justified by religion and culture.

We have already begun to implement many of your suggestions to make it easier for our supporters to be more connected to the Foundation and help us in our important work.  Over the next few months, we will be introducing simple ways that you can help spread the word about these forms of oppression of women and girls in the West, as well as help support the Foundation.  Here are a few projects we have underway:

• Global Night-In For AHA - an opportunity for supporters across the globe to unite and celebrate the birthday of Ayaan Hirsi Ali, while raising awareness and funds for the work of the AHA Foundation.

• AHA Foundation Products - the proceeds of the sales will support the work of the AHA Foundation.

• College Affiliate Programs - we know college students can make a huge impact.  Because of that, we’re creating a program of college chapters to be run by our younger supporters.

• The AHA Foundation Blog - take a look at our new blog to see the AHA Foundation’s stance on controversial topics.  Sharing our blog is an easy way to spread awareness.

• Small Ways to Help - we know many of you want to help, but do not feel you have the time or money.  To give you even the smallest way to help, we have created a way to subscribe to our website and make a $1.50 monthly donation to the Foundation.  Small amounts add up:  if half of our Facebook followers subscribe to make this donation, we would have an addition $10,000 a month to further our mission.

• Do It Yourself - we are producing a brochure filled with ideas of simple things you can do in your own communities to help support our mission.

Finally, based on survey comments we received, we know that many of you are concerned about the integrity of your personal contact information when making donations to the Foundation.   We want to assure you that we will never share your personal information.  We take the utmost care to ensure all contact data we receive is completely secure.

Thank you again to everyone who took the time to complete our survey.

Sincerely,

The AHA Foundation 

Sharia Law in America a Scary Proposition for Women

In response to an Op-Ed posted in The New York Times on Friday, September 2nd, by Yale professor Eliyahu Stern, we wanted to take a moment to discuss Sharia law.  In his piece, Stern states that "More than a dozen states are considering outlawing aspects of Shariah law" and mentions settling marriage disputes as one of the aspects that have the potential to be outlawed.

He goes on to say, "The crusade against Shariah undermines American democracy..."

His take is flat wrong.  Particularly for women, allowing Sharia law would severly undermine American democracy, not the other way around.  We encourage the professor to do a little further research into what Sharia law would mean for American women, taking into account the following points:

• In any proceeding governed by Sharia law, a woman's testimony is worth only half that of a man's.

• Under the sections of Sharia law civil code governing marriage and child custody, a marriage contract is between the woman’s father (or other male guardian) and her husband.

• A man can divorce his wife by simply saying three times, "I divorce thee," while a woman must give justification for requesting a divorce and meet a high burden of proof.

• If a woman does obtain a divorce and later remarries, she loses custody of her children, even if the father is abusive.

Obviously, Sharia law in America is a a scary proposition for women.  The provisions of Sharia are incompatible with modern Western individual rights, particularly the equal rights of women.