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** In this month’s digest
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* Unpacking our latest report on FGM
* Progress and setbacks on child marriage
* Receiving the 2025 Elevate Prize Founder's Award


** Dear John,
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Welcome to this month’s digest from Equality Now. As Global Director of Programs, I’m pleased to share updates from across our movement, stories of challenge and progress, insight and advocacy, all rooted in the pursuit of legal equality for women and girls everywhere.

This month, we turn the spotlight again on the deeply entrenched and harmful practice: female genital mutilation (FGM) ([link removed]) . From the global scale of the issue to the personal courage of survivors, we continue to pursue the legal and systemic changes needed to finally end FGM, wherever and however it is practiced. It’s a complex issue that requires a contextualized response.

- Niki Kandirikirira, Global Director of Programs, Equality Now


** What’s top of my mind:
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* Without constitutional protections for women’s equality in the US there’s little to stop further regression on their rights. This is exactly why enshrining the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) ([link removed]) in the Constitution is essential. Legal equality isn’t just symbolic, it’s a safeguard.

* According to The World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law Division’s latest briefing paper ([link removed]) , more than 600 million women have benefited from family law reforms, but 105 economies still hold women back in marriage and the household. Our latest video ([link removed]) highlights the impact of this. Legal equality at home is a key to unlocking women’s full economic and social potential; reform is imperative.

* FGM thrives in silence. Whether in Colombia ([link removed]) , Egypt, or migrant communities, FGM persists where it’s invisible. Elevating survivor voices and clarifying legal protections are essential to ending this global human rights violation.


** In focus: Understanding and addressing FGM among migrant communities in Egypt
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Our newly released report, Female Genital Mutilation Among Sudanese Migrants in Greater Cairo ([link removed]) , developed with Tadwein for Gender Studies, explores how displacement and social networks shape attitudes toward FGM. Amid ongoing conflict in Sudan and rising migration to Egypt, this research reveals both positive shifts and persistent risks.
How is this impacting Sudanese women and girls in Egypt?

Sudanese families migrating to Egypt are navigating FGM across two high-prevalence contexts, yet their perspectives and practices are evolving:
* Many study participants said they have stopped performing FGM in their families, often due to education, personal trauma, or shifting norms.

* Yet, misconceptions persist: over half of respondents believed that Type 1 FGM (colloquially known as the ‘sunna’ type) is legal in Egypt.

* Younger male participants were the least informed about FGM and its consequences, suggesting a key gap in outreach.

* Informal community networks, nicknamed “Small Sudan”, can reinforce FGM norms. These groups often help identify midwives willing to perform FGM in secret, raising concerns about continuation despite formal legal bans.

Our findings underscore the need for legal literacy, targeted engagement with youth and men, and survivor-centered interventions that acknowledge the complexities of migration, culture, and identity.

Our expert says…



** “Ending FGM requires more than laws, it demands listening to the lived realities of those navigating new borders, new laws, and old expectations. This report gives us vital clarity: misinformation thrives in displacement, and so must our outreach. If we want to change norms, we must focus on populations where shifts are already happening, but not yet equipped to stop it.”
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- Dima Dabbous, MENA Regional Representative, Equality Now


** Across the globe: Expert analysis in brief
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* In a region where laws lag behind lived realities, Bolivia is taking bold steps to end child marriage ([link removed]) . Learn how legal reform is making a difference.

* As part of the YW4A initiative, we trained 19 young changemakers in Egypt to become media and legal advocates against sexual violence and child marriage. From policy briefs to powerful videos, they’re launching campaigns for justice.

* In the United States, Hawaii’s Senate failed to pass a bill ([link removed]) that would have set the marriage age at 18 with no exceptions, leaving current laws in place that allow marriage as young as 15. While disappointing, progress continues elsewhere: more U.S. states, including Washington D.C., are closing loopholes ([link removed]) .

* In The Gambia, at the 83rd session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, we urged African states ([link removed]) to ratify and implement the Maputo Protocol ([link removed]) , criminalize femicide, end child marriage without exception, and address online sexual exploitation. By showing up in these spaces, we’re helping to drive legal reform and ensure women’s rights remain a regional priority.


** An investment in women and girls: The 2025 Elevate Prize Founder's Award
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[link removed]
This year, Equality Now was awarded the 2025 Elevate Prize Founder’s Award ([link removed]) in recognition of our transformative role in the reform of 120 sex-discriminatory laws that deny women and girls their rights and full potential around the world. The Award celebrates innovation and purpose, recognizing game-changing social entrepreneurs or endeavors, and promises $1 million over the course of 10 years, marking a decade-long commitment to our work.

“This isn’t just about funding. It’s a call to action — especially to men,” said Joe Deitch, the Founder and Chairman of the Elevate Prize Foundation. “We are so much more, so much better, when we have access to each other’s perceptions and talents and strengths. Men need to step up, speak out, and stand beside the women who have carried this fight for too long.”
We are thrilled and honored to continue this work and to utilize the Award to expand our global strategy, targeting the root causes of legal inequality. Thank you to our global community for joining us on this journey, and to our allies for standing strong beside women and girls.
Read More ([link removed])

In solidarity,

Niki Kandirikirira
Global Director of Programs, Equality Now

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