CAGeM

Campaign Against Female Genital Mutilation (CAGeM) is an international nonprofit organization made up of mostly volunteer physicians whose primary mission is to eradicate female genital mutilation via health education rather than activism, to protect girls from the procedure, and to provide treatment to victims. CAGeM is the oldest international organization working exclusively on eradication of female genital mutilation and is the only organization working on eradication of the practice in the United States. Through close collaboration with many different public sector experts, community leaders and local spokespersons, CAGeM links grassroots activism in countries that still practice FGM to foster communication, information and strategy sharing. CAGeM works to ensure that countries practicing FGM adopt a definitive strategy to end FGM and provide protection to women and girls who flee their countries for fear of being mutilated. The campaign focuses on developing and implementing culturally sensitive educational programs to eradicate FGM, assisting victims with medical treatment, and rescuing girls at risk for the procedure and providing them with basic education and care. The campaign also pursues the introduction of legislation banning FGM and is committed to initiating and supporting grassroots anti-FGM campaigns around the world. CAGeM strongly believes that every woman and young girl has the right to learn, and to enjoy physical, mental and spiritual well-being, and that the health and the well-being of individuals, families and communities as a whole are intertwined.