'It's hidden': Female genital mutilation and the secret shame of Minnesota's Somalis
State Rep. Mary Franson says cultural secrecy makes female genital mutilation 'exceptionally difficult to detect' in tight-knit communities
Michael Dorgan By Michael Dorgan Fox News
Published February 22, 2026 5:22pm EST | Updated February 22, 2026 5:36pm EST
Somali Survivor in Minnesota Speaks Out on Female Genital Mutilation
A Minnesota-based survivor says female genital mutilation remains a hidden issue carried in shame and silence, making detection and prosecution difficult.
More than half a million women and girls in the United States are living with the physical and psychological scars of female genital mutilation — including many in Minnesota, home to a large Somali community from a country where roughly 98% of women have undergone the procedure, according to United Nations data.
Yet despite a state law that makes performing the procedures a felony, Minnesota has never secured a single criminal prosecution under its law — raising questions about enforcement, and whether cases could be going on undetected.
Female genital mutilation, or FGM, involves the cutting or removal of parts of a female’s genital organs, typically for cultural rather than medical reasons. The practice is irreversible.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/its-hidden-female-genital-mutilation-secret-shame-minnesota-somalis
