ABOUT US > MISSION STATEMENT
Our mission is to empower Asian and other communities to end female genital cutting and create positive social change through dialogue, education, and collaboration based on community involvement.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES:
- To bring an end to the practice of female genital cutting (also known as female genital mutilation or female circumcision), which has been recognized as a human rights violation by the World Health Organization, United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
- To enable a culture in which a woman/girl’s body and female sexuality is not feared or suppressed, but embraced as normal.
- To recognize and emphasize the values of consent and a child/woman’s right over her own body.
ABOUT US > OUR STORY
Sahiyo began in early 2015 as a conversation between five women who felt strongly about the ritual of female genital cutting (khatna) in the Bohra community. The group includes a social worker, a researcher, two filmmakers, and a journalist. Each individual had already been speaking out, in their own ways, against the practice of khatna.
As their collaboration grew, they realized the need for an organized, informed forum within the community that could help drive a movement to bring an end to khatna. That is how Sahiyo, the organization, was born. Sahiyo is dedicated to empowering Asian communities to end female genital cutting (FGC) and create positive social change. By working towards an FGC-free world, Sahiyo aims to recognize and emphasize the values of consent and a child’s/woman’s right over her own body, and to enable a culture in which female sexuality is not feared or suppressed but embraced as normal. Today, Sahiyo has divided into two legal entities - Sahiyo U.S & Sahiyo India.
Sahiyo is the Bohra Gujarati word for ‘saheliyo,’ or friends, and reflects the organization’s mission to engage in dialogue with the community to find a collective solution towards ending FGC or khatna.
ABOUT US > AWARDS & DISTINCTIONS
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Nari Smata Manch recognized ‘Sahiyo’ for its contributions to build a dialogue around FGC with the ‘Daughter of Maharashtra’ Award in 2016.
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A Sahiyo blog contributor’s essay about her personal experience of FGC won South Asia’s first ever Laadli Media and Advertising Award for Gender Sensitivity, founded by Population First in 2017.
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Sahiyo received a Shoor Veer Award in 2018.
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Sahiyo co-founder Aarefa Johari and independent writer-activist Aysha Mahmood won the Laadli Media and Advertising Award for Gender Sensitivity, 2018 for their investigation revealing the prevalence of FGC in Kerala.
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Sahiyo was recognized by Population Reference Bureau as one of six inspiring organizations working on ending FGM/C in 2018.
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In 2019, Sahiyo was awarded a winner (1 of 3) the ViiV Healthcare #EndFGM Positive Action Challenge. The #ENDFGM Positive Action Challenge supports innovative interventions to bring about a sustained change in attitudes and social norms towards ending FGC.
ABOUT US > TIMELINE
2015
2015
- Founded in December 2015
- Launched undertaking of a global study on Khatna/FGC among Dawoodi Bohra women
2015
2016
2016
- Participated in first-ever conference for Asian anti-FGC advocates in Singapore, organised by Wadi and Aware
- Launched ‘Each One Reach One’ campaign with WeSpeakOut
- Launched ‘I am Bohra’ photo campaign
- Spoke at 60th Annual Commission on the Status of Women Conference parallel event in New York
- Organized a program, along with University Women’s Association (UWA), the Poona Women’s Council, the Family Planning Association of India, Women’s Studies Center, ILS Law College, Pune Women’s Forum, Miloon Saryajani, Nari Samata Manch, General Practitioners Association, Speak Out on FGM and Sassoon Hospital, that aimed towards creating a dialogue amongst stakeholders on female genital cutting in Pune
- Spoke at Women Deliver Conference side event in Copenhagen
- Partnered with Breakthrough to promote stories from survivors and their allies live on Breakthrough’s digital storytelling platform, THE G WORD: Transforming gender norms, one story at a time.
- Wallace Global Fund awarded first grant to support organizational setup
- Recognized by Nari Smata Manch for contributions to build dialogue around FGC with the ‘Daughter of Maharashtra’ Award
- Hosted media workshop in partnership with the International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT), training journalists on how to sensitively report on FGC
- Participated in the “Gender Justice” panel session at the Islamic Society of North America Annual Conference
- Led discussion at the Justice and Peace Commission in Mumbai
- Participated in End Violence Against Girls: Summit on FGM/C in Washington, DC, at the U.S. Institute of Peace
2017
2017
- Launched a change.org petition (in collaboration with 33 organizations from around the world) calling on the U.N. and other international bodies to invest more research and support towards ending FGC in Asia
- Released media toolkit to help media report on FGC sensitively
- Released results of a two-year exploratory study on FGC within the Dawoodi Bohra community. The study showed 81% of the survey participants wanted FGC to end within the community
- Participated as delegates at Difficult Dialogues, an annual conference on issues of national interest in Goa, India. Organised in affiliation with University College London, with the theme of “India’s health – A grand challenge”
- Held first Thaal Pe Charcha (loosely translated as ‘discussions over food’), in which 16 Bohra women were invited to discuss — for the first time — the challenges of living as young girls and women in the tightly knit Dawoodi Bohra community
- A Sahiyo blog contributor’s essay about her personal experience of FGC won South Asia’s first ever Laadli Media And Advertising Award for Gender Sensitivity, founded by Population First.
- Released an investigative report that brought to light that FGC was occurring in Kerala
- Joined Alliance for Inclusive Muslims, a global coalition that works against radicalism within Islam, violence against women and other human rights abuses, as well as Islamophobia
- Spoke at Hilton Humanitarian Symposium in Los Angeles, California on empowering the silent to speak
- Hosted a roundtable with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to discuss how to work in a way that is culturally appropriate, with children and families in the state, in cases involving female genital cutting
- Attended the European Forum to Build Bridges on FGM to take part in transnational, cross-border cooperation on ending FGC globally
- Spotlighted at the We The Women Conference on a panel “Unveiling the horror of Female Genital Cutting” in Mumbai, India
2017
2018
2018
- Hosted first-ever U.S. Bohra Anti-FGC Activists Retreat to strengthen relationships amongst advocates and build collaborative approaches towards working to end FGC in the U.S. This was followed by the first Bohra Anti-FGC Activists Retreat in Mumbai, for activists located all over India.
- Released results from study on learning how to support Anti-FGC Activist in their advocacy work
- Partnered with Women in Film and Television International India to organise first-ever on-ground storytelling event “Storytelling with Sahiyo,” featuring four critically-acclaimed actors performing narrative readings of survivor stories, in Mumbai, India
- Hosted Sahiyo Stories workshop in collaboration with StoryCenter, to bring together nine women from across the United States to create personalized digital stories that narrate experiences of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). These nine women, who differ in race/ethnicity, age, and citizenship/residency status, each shared a story addressing a different challenge with FGM/C. The collection is woven together with a united sentiment and a joint hope that the videos will build a critical mass of voices from within FGM/C-practicing communities, calling for the harmful practice’s abandonment. The videos were released to the public in August 2018
- Thaal pe Charcha program launched in New York
- Second US Thaal pe Charcha program launched in Berkeley, CA
- Inaugural screening of Sahiyo Stories held in Oakland, California, followed by screenings in Massachusetts and Washington DC
- Sahiyo US established a U.S. Advisory Board to guide directions of organization
2019
2019
- Hosted a special Thaal Pe Charcha “Iftar” dinner in Mumbai with 24 women and men from the Bohra community during the holy month of Ramzan
- Sahiyo India hosted Second Annual Activists’ Retreat in Mumbai
- Sahiyo U.S. hosted Second Annual Activist Retreat in New York
- Faces for Change photo campaign launched to highlight survivors of FGC
- Sahiyo is part of planning committee for pre-conference on FGC at the 2019 Women Deliver conference in Vancouver
- Co-hosted an inaugural roundtable to raise awareness of FGC in Massachusetts and build a state coalition to actively address the issue
- Launched Male Ally Campaign
- Sahiyo took part in FemmeCon, India’s first women’s health festival organised by TheaCare. The exhibition displayed photos and quotes of FGC survivors who participated in Sahiyo’s Faces for Change campaign.
- In 2019, Sahiyo hosted three workshops for the Voices to End FGM/C project: a pilot online workshop in June that allowed for participants from all over the world, another in September in Asheville, North Carolina (partnered with Threads for Wellbeing), and the last was held in November in Washington DC (Partnered with George Washington University School of Public Health).
2019
2020
2020
- Spoke on FGM/C at the 63rd annual conference of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, AICOG, in Lucknow, India
- 27 new digital stories from the Voices to End FGM/C officially released on February 6, International Zero Tolerance Day on FGM/C.
- Due to COVID-19, Sahiyo changed the format for the third annual Activist Retreat to a virtual Activist Retreat and hosted it in April for U.S. participants and September for India participants.
- Partnered with API-GBV and U.S. End FGM/C Network for educational webinar aimed towards educating gender-based violence advocates on FGM/C in the U.S. in increase capacity of care for FGM/C survivors
- Hosted Learning about Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in the Classroom, a webinar to discuss FGM/C, debunk common misconceptions, and explore the use of nationwide classroom education as a tool for FGM/C prevention
- Hosted Moving Towards Sexual Pleasure and Emotional Healing After FGC, a webinar about the mental and emotional consequences of FGC
- Sahiyo expanded our community outreach and education program in 2020, with 30+ events hosted or participated in throughout the year. Events included: Lesley University: Violence Against Women: Violance, Resistance, and Change, 2020 King's College London Virtual Symposium, SHEFFA: Virtual Workshop, October 2020 NA&E Caucus, Fast Tracking Sustainable Development Goal 5: U.S. End FGM/C Network, USC: A Girl From Mogadishu, Communication for Change Festival, AAFP National Conference on Family Medicine, 2020 Council Great City School Conference, Intesaab 2020 Virtual Conference, Taboo Conversations: RAHMA, 2020 Virtual Student Experiences, and NARHC 2020.
- In September, Sahiyo launched the Dear Maasi column. Maasi is the word for aunt in Gujarati, and gives people an opportunity to anonymously submit questions about sex and relationships.
- Continued Thaal Pe Charcha in 2020: one in-person in February, the first virtual Thaal Pe Charcha in July, and another virtual TPC in October
- Launched More Than a Survivor campaign on November 25th, releasing 20 interviews with FGC survivors as part of 16 Days of Activism
- Sahiyo collaborated with partner organizations that attended Women Deliver in Vancouver in 2019, to establish the Global Platform For Action to End FGM/C.
2021
2021
- Hosted Art, Activism, and Healing: In Conversation Around FGC
- Launched Bhaiyo, Sahiyo’s male ally initiative, to create a space where male allies can collaborate, spark dialogue, and spread information about this form of gender-based violence and its harmful impacts. Bhaiyo’s first initiative was Everyone’s Responsibility: Discussing the Role Male Allies Play In Preventing Female Genital Cutting, a webinar exploring the role men play in ending FGC. Bhaiyo also carried out a Father’s Day inspired public awareness campaign that saw 17 submissions from male advocates from over six countries
- Held Addressing FGC in the Clinic: A Dialogue Between Survivors and Health Care Professionals
- Hosted NGO CSW #65 Parallel Event, Using Storytelling to Shift Social Norms and Prevent FGM/C with Storycenter
- Held the event Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: An Under-Recognized form of Gender-Based Violence in the U.S. in partnership with API-GBV and the U.S. End FGM/C Network
- Hosted Critical Intersections: Anti-Racism and Female Genital Cutting (FGC), a webinar to explore how FGC survivors and advocates for change often have to push back against racist narratives in their work, and in their journey toward healing, as well as how systemic racism can delay substantial change on this issue
- Established the Connecticut Coalition to end FGM/C to support creation of Connecticut legislation to protect girls against FGC
- Created a Thaal Pe Charcha toolkit to help community members, community organizations, and others host their own events to discuss FGC
- United States Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) awarded Asian Women’s Shelter, along with subgrantees Sahiyo and StoryCenter, a three year grant to expand the Voices to End FGM/C project
- Held Moving Towards Sexual Pleasure and Emotional Healing after Female Genital Cutting (FGC) Part 2, a webinar on the impact of FGC on mental health and sexuality, and how survivors can begin to move towards healing
- Sahiyo significantly expanded our community outreach and education program in 2021, with 40+ events hosted or participated in throughout the year. Some events included: : The Future Shakers Initiative: The Pre-summit of #EndFGM Global Conference 2021, How to talk about FGM with AIDOS, Sahiyo and CoP FGM: Law and FGM in North America, FAWCO and Sahiyo Webinar, After the Cut: On FGC Survivor Representation in Arts&Media, MAHYC Teacher Training, FGM for the Law, Justice and Development Week.
- Expanded the Dear Maasi column with eight new blogs, and began translating the column into Hindi and Gujarati
- Expanded Sahiyo's internship program to include program interns, social media interns, development interns, and editorial interns
2021
2022
2022
- StoryCenter and Sahiyo virtually hosted the sixth annual Voices to End FGM/C digital storytelling workshop in January 2022
- Hosted webinar “How to Stop the Rising Trend of Medicalisation of Female Genital Cutting in Asia”
- CARE Atlanta Global Innovation Hub hosted a webinar on reproductive rights and justice, and invited Sahiyo’s U.S. Executive Director Mariya Taher to speak about female genital cutting in the U.S.
- The Global Platform for Action to End FGM/C, of which Sahiyo is a member hosted a webinar at 66th NGO Commission on the Status of Women to host “Engaging Men to End Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting”
- Launched our public awareness campaign Each Bhaiyo, Reach Bhaiyo to encourage members of the Sahiyo community to engage male allies in their communities and start conversations about FGC
- In March 2022, Sahiyo held an informational lecture for students of Mumbai's BMN Women's College of Home Science. This was the second time Sahiyo held a guest lecture at BMN College.
- In June 2022, Sahiyo held our 5th annual Activists Retreat virtually, and for the first time, invited European-based Bohra community members to attend.
- Awarded a grant from the Peace Development Fund to expand Sahiyo’s programs.
- As part of our community education and outreach program, Sahiyo hosted Understanding Social Norms to End Female Genital Cutting, A Quiet Violence, An Emergency Within an Emergency, How to Stop the Medicalization of Female Genital Cutting in Asia, and partnered with the World Bank to host a screening of the Voices to End FGM/C digital storytelling project.
- In collaboration with the Connecticut Coalition to End FGM/C, Sahiyo organized the Moving Connecticut Ahead: Protecting Girls from Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting webinar to gather support in Connecticut for addressing FGM/C at a policy level.
- Hosted our 6th and 7th Voices to End FGM/C digital storytelling workshops in partnership with Storycenter and Asian Women’s Shelter involving a total of 18 storytellers.
- Launched our brand new Voicestoendfgmc.org website. This website, dedicated to the Voices project, aims to bring together stories from activists and survivors around the globe in order to call for an end to the practice of FGC.
- Partnered with researchers from India on the KAP research project, a study on understanding Indian healthcare professional knowledge and awareness of FGC in India.
- This year, Sahiyo received funding to begin our Critical Intersections research project. Aimed at better understanding the intersections between FGC and other forms of social oppression, this research project will take two years to complete and will involve a qualitative and quantitative study.
- On March 8th, Sahiyo launched our Each One, Reach Bhaiyo campaign. During this campaign Sahiyo members were engaged to reach out to one male-identifying person in their life and educate them about FGC. Overall, 19 participants educated over 23 men. They were then asked to share their stories on our social media to highlight the importance of male activism in the work to end FGC and our Bhaiyo program.
- During the 16 Days of Activism, Sahiyo hosted a Healing as Activism campaign to help uplift healing as a form of activists for survivors of FGC.