Nile Sisters Development Initiative Announces the Release of Defenseless Against Female Genital Cutting

  SAN DIEGO, CA - 12/09/2016 (PRESS RELEASE JET)

Nile Sisters Development Initiative announces the release of
Defenseless Against Female Genital Cutting, the latest publication on Female Genital Cutting
(FGC) in San Diego County. FGC, also known as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), is an illegal
procedure that involves altering or injuring the female genital organs for non-medical reasons,
resulting in severe adverse health outcomes. Globally, over 200 million women and girls have
undergone the procedure, with three million estimated to be at risk. California is the state most
heavily impacted, with approximately 57,000 women and girls at-risk.

Defenseless Against Female Genital Cutting focuses on highlighting the reality of FGC in the
San Diego region, given its large refugee population. Locally, an estimated 30,000 individuals
from countries with high prevalence of FGC live in the City of San Diego. An underreported
8,000 women and girls are potentially predisposed to FGC, 44% of whom are under the age of
18 years old. 

Nile Sisters Development Initiative, in partnership with Family Health Centers of San Diego
(FHCSD), aims to conduct outreach and education to 100 women at risk of or affected by FGC
from 2016 to 2019.

San Diego is a refugee-impacted county; approximately 150,000 refugees and refugee families
reside in the County. Elizabeth Lou, the President/CEO of NSDI notes that FGC is a big concern
in the San Diego region, “this is an urgent conversation that San Diego needs to have given that
FGC is a reality in San Diego,” she said. 

Access the publication: http://tinyurl.com/NSDI-Defenseless-Against-FGC  
 
About Nile Sisters Development Initiative 
 
Nile Sisters Development Initiative (NSDI) is a community-based organization that provides
vital services to refugees and immigrants in the San Diego region. NSDI is committed to
mitigating health disparities afflicting refugee and immigrant communities by offering family
advocacy and education services. These include programs to raise awareness of sexual and
reproductive health, mental health, oral health, and chronic diseases.