Mariya Taher has worked in gender-based violence for nearly fifteen years in the areas of teaching, research, policy, program development, and direct service. In 2018, Mariya received the Human Rights Storytellers Award from the Muslim American Leadership Alliance. In 2020, she was recognized as one of the six inaugural grant recipients for the Crave Foundation for Women. After starting a Change.org petition and gathering over 400,000 signatures, Mariya helped Massachusetts became the 39th state to pass legislaition on FGC. Subsequently she supported other states to pass such laws including Washington. She also sits on the steering committee for the US End FGM/C Network. As of 2021, Mariya serves as an expert consultant for the Department Of Justice Addressing Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting technical assistance project. In 2023, she became a Valor LEAP Fellow. Prior to Sahiyo, Mariya held positions at Saheli, Support and Friendship for South Asian Women & Families, W.O.M.A.N., Inc., Asian Women's Shelter, San Francisco Dept on the Status of Women, and was a 2014 Women's Policy Institute Fellow through the Women's Foundation of California. Additionally, Mariya is an extensive writer and has contributed pieces to NPR, HuffPost, The Fair Observer, Brown Girl Magazine, Solstice Literary Magazine, The Express Tribune, The San Francisco Examiner, and more. She graduated with her MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley University. She also holds a Master in Social Work from San Francisco State University and a B.A. from UC Santa Barbara in Religious Studies.

Contact Mariya at mariya@sahiyo.org

Mariya Taher has worked in gender-based violence for nearly fifteen years in the areas of teaching, research, policy, program development, and direct service. In 2018, Mariya received the Human Rights Storytellers Award from the Muslim American Leadership Alliance. In 2020, she was recognized as one of the six inaugural grant recipients for the Crave Foundation for Women. After starting a Change.org petition and gathering over 400,000 signatures, Mariya helped Massachusetts became the 39th state to pass legislaition on FGC. Subsequently she supported other states to pass such laws including Washington. She also sits on the steering committee for the US End FGM/C Network. As of 2021, Mariya serves as an expert consultant for the Department Of Justice Addressing Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting technical assistance project. In 2023, she became a Valor LEAP Fellow. Prior to Sahiyo, Mariya held positions at Saheli, Support and Friendship for South Asian Women & Families, W.O.M.A.N., Inc., Asian Women's Shelter, San Francisco Dept on the Status of Women, and was a 2014 Women's Policy Institute Fellow through the Women's Foundation of California. Additionally, Mariya is an extensive writer and has contributed pieces to NPR, HuffPost, The Fair Observer, Brown Girl Magazine, Solstice Literary Magazine, The Express Tribune, The San Francisco Examiner, and more. She graduated with her MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley University. She also holds a Master in Social Work from San Francisco State University and a B.A. from UC Santa Barbara in Religious Studies.

Contact Mariya at mariya@sahiyo.org

Mariya Taher has worked in gender-based violence for nearly fifteen years in the areas of teaching, research, policy, program development, and direct service. In 2018, Mariya received the Human Rights Storytellers Award from the Muslim American Leadership Alliance. In 2020, she was recognized as one of the six inaugural grant recipients for the Crave Foundation for Women. After starting a Change.org petition and gathering over 400,000 signatures, Mariya helped Massachusetts became the 39th state to pass legislaition on FGC. Subsequently she supported other states to pass such laws including Washington. She also sits on the steering committee for the US End FGM/C Network. As of 2021, Mariya serves as an expert consultant for the Department Of Justice Addressing Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting technical assistance project. In 2023, she became a Valor LEAP Fellow. Prior to Sahiyo, Mariya held positions at Saheli, Support and Friendship for South Asian Women & Families, W.O.M.A.N., Inc., Asian Women's Shelter, San Francisco Dept on the Status of Women, and was a 2014 Women's Policy Institute Fellow through the Women's Foundation of California. Additionally, Mariya is an extensive writer and has contributed pieces to NPR, HuffPost, The Fair Observer, Brown Girl Magazine, Solstice Literary Magazine, The Express Tribune, The San Francisco Examiner, and more. She graduated with her MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley University. She also holds a Master in Social Work from San Francisco State University and a B.A. from UC Santa Barbara in Religious Studies.

Contact Mariya at mariya@sahiyo.org

Mariya Taher has worked in gender-based violence for nearly fifteen years in the areas of teaching, research, policy, program development, and direct service. In 2018, Mariya received the Human Rights Storytellers Award from the Muslim American Leadership Alliance. In 2020, she was recognized as one of the six inaugural grant recipients for the Crave Foundation for Women. After starting a Change.org petition and gathering over 400,000 signatures, Mariya helped Massachusetts became the 39th state to pass legislaition on FGC. Subsequently she supported other states to pass such laws including Washington. She also sits on the steering committee for the US End FGM/C Network. As of 2021, Mariya serves as an expert consultant for the Department Of Justice Addressing Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting technical assistance project. In 2023, she became a Valor LEAP Fellow. Prior to Sahiyo, Mariya held positions at Saheli, Support and Friendship for South Asian Women & Families, W.O.M.A.N., Inc., Asian Women's Shelter, San Francisco Dept on the Status of Women, and was a 2014 Women's Policy Institute Fellow through the Women's Foundation of California. Additionally, Mariya is an extensive writer and has contributed pieces to NPR, HuffPost, The Fair Observer, Brown Girl Magazine, Solstice Literary Magazine, The Express Tribune, The San Francisco Examiner, and more. She graduated with her MFA in Creative Writing from Lesley University. She also holds a Master in Social Work from San Francisco State University and a B.A. from UC Santa Barbara in Religious Studies.

Contact Mariya at mariya@sahiyo.org