NOW hosted the Washington, D.C. premiere of the film based on Alice Walker's
moving book Possessing the Secret of Joy. The above photo of Walker
was taken during a panel discussion which included NOW president Patricia
Ireland and anti-FGM activists from around the world.
NOW is working with women's rights activists in other countries to stop the genital mutilation of young girls who are powerless to resist. Oregon NOW collected thousands of dollars to assist a woman who was resisting deportation because she knew her daughter would be mutilated if they left the United States.
March 1997: U.S. Ban on FGM Gains Strength