NY Campaign Targets Female Genital Mutilation

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Dave Lucas

Published November 27, 2015 at 6:12 PM EST

New York state plans to mount a public awareness campaign about the risks and consequences of female genital mutilation, a practice that health officials say puts thousands of girls and young women in New York at risk.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation this month directing state health officials to conduct educational and outreach programs about the "physical, sexual and psychological" effects of the procedure, which is practiced in various cultures around the world.

The procedure carries the likelihood of life-long physical and psychological damage.

While the practice is illegal, official estimates indicate that more than 7,500 girls and young women in New York are at risk of having the procedure, either within the state or overseas.

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Dave Lucas

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.

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