Voices to End Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: A Video Screening & Discussion with Survivors of FGM/C in Washington State

Date: Thursday, June 13th, 2024, 10:00 to 1:30 pm PT

Registration link: https://bit.ly/VoicesWAScreening 

Event Location: 417 Ramsay Way, Ste 112, Kent, WA 98032 Room 320 

For too long, those impacted by female genital cutting /mutilation (FGM/C) have stayed silent on the harms of this practice for fear of being ostracized by their communities, labeled as victims, or jeopardizing their relationships with loved ones implicated in the practice. Though FGM/C often remains a hidden practice, it is a human rights violation that is a reality for many women and girls across different communities in Washington State. In April 2023, Washington State passed State Senate Bill 5453- An Act Relative to Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) to address this issue in our state.

Join us on Thursday, June 13th to watch videos created by courageous Washington-based individuals who have taken part in the Voices to End FGM/C digital storytelling project. The stories reflect individuals from a wide range of cultural and community contexts, but all the videos share one thing in common- they all address the diverse and enduring impacts of FGM/C. Some storytellers talk about the physical and emotional consequences of the practice; others discuss advocacy efforts to end FGM/C, explore how health providers can best support survivors to provide needed care or talk about how FGM/C has affected their connections with the women in their families.

This educational event will touch on how survivors of FGM/C in Washington State and more nationally are impacted by this harmful practice, and emphasize the need to build a multi-sectorial, holistic pathway toward addressing FGM/C within the state that encompasses a wide network of stakeholders in healthcare, government, nonprofit, and community-based organizations, and community members impacted by FGM/C.

Event Agenda:

9:30 - 10:15 am - Registration

10:15 - 10:30 am - Opening and welcome

10:30 - 10:45 am - Project updates

10:45 - 12:15 pm - Video screenings and discussion

12:15 - 12:30 pm - Next steps and closing

12:30 - 1:30 pm - Networking lunch (optional)

About the Event Organizers:

Mother Africa’s mission is to support African women, immigrants, and refugees and their families to reach their highest potential. At Mother Africa, we envision a society where immigrant and refugee African and Middle Eastern women have both a seat and a voice at the decision-making tables. We know that these women have unique and powerful potentials, and can be more than just the recipients of services. Rather, they can effectively contribute to their community's success while improving their own narratives and status quo. 

Sahiyo U.S. is an award-winning organization, formed in 2015 as an advocacy collective of South Asian survivors of FGC to address the lack of acknowledgment of FGC as a form of gender-based violence and child abuse impacting U.S. girls. ‘Sahiyo’ is the Bohra Gujarati word for female friend and reflects a mission to empower Asian and other communities to end FGC and create positive social change through dialogue, education, and collaboration based on community involvement. Sahiyo has been at the forefront of the movement to end FGC work in the United States, and has received international recognition for its community-based approach to addressing FGC in 2018, Sahiyo was recognized by the Population Reference Bureau as one of six inspiring organizations working to end FGC. 

The U.S. End FGM/C Network (the U.S. Network) is a collaborative group of survivors, civil society organizations, foundations, activists, policymakers, researchers, healthcare providers, and others committed to promoting the abandonment of FGC in the U.S. and around the world. The U.S. Network’s mission is to eliminate FGC by connecting, supporting, elevating, and advocating on behalf of and with diverse U.S. stakeholders engaged in prevention, education, and care. The U.S. Network functions as a platform that facilitates collaboration and information sharing, empower grassroots organizations and supports survivors, builds bridges between U.S.-based and international efforts to end FGC, influences policies and laws on FGC, and leads both national and global efforts to frame the issue of FGC in a broad and intersectional manner. The U.S. Network serves as the main source of information and the lead advocacy voice in the United States on ending this harmful practice in the U.S.

Washington State Department of Health (DOH) works with others to protect and improve the health of all people in Washington. The FGM/C project related to State Senate Bill 5453 is being facilitated by the Injury and Violence Prevention (IVP) Section at DOH. The IVP Section works with many partners across Washington State to build capacity to prevent injuries and violence. These collaborations include efforts such as identifying and focusing on communities most affected by injury and violence to address health inequities, supporting community programs that directly address injury and violence prevention, using and sharing key data to inform prevention strategies, and supporting evidence-informed policies and best practices. Find more information about IVP here.