Sakina Sharp has advocated against gender-based violence for over two decades. In 2011, she co-founded Awaaz, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization to help survivors of domestic violence. She led it in an executive leadership and board capacity for 7 years. Sakina is a legal and compliance executive with 20+ years of experience in insurance regulatory and privacy law, advising large financial services organizations. She received her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School and her B.A. from New York University. Sakina is proud to be a girl mom.

When did you first become involved with Sahiyo?

I first became involved with Sahiyo in 2018. I was trying to find information on female genital cutting (FGC) in the Bohra community, and I found Sahiyo. I checked Sahiyo’s Facebook page and could not believe that such a community existed; I was so happy. I called Mariya Taher within a few weeks and asked her about how I could be involved. Now, here I am.

In your new role as Vice Chair of Sahiyo’s Advisory Board, what are some goals, both short-term and long-term, that you are aiming to work towards?

My goals for Sahiyo remain what they were when I started with Sahiyo: to get the awareness of female genital cutting (FGC) out, and to allow space for other survivors of FGC to tell their stories. Storytelling is very powerful– that’s what drew me to the work that Sahiyo does. That’s what makes Sahiyo a unique and compelling nonprofit, and I would like to focus more on that this year. 

What are you most looking forward to? 

One of the things I’m most looking forward to is learning more about the inner workings of Sahiyo. As an Advisory Board member, we get a glimpse into what Sahiyo does, but are not fully engaged with its work on a day-to-day basis.  As a small nonprofit, I think Sahiyo has done tremendous work in such a short amount of time under Mariya’s leadership, and I want to see how that is done through a closer lens. 

As a lawyer, can you provide us with some insights into the legal realm of FGC that you have developed over the course of your career? 

So, I struggle with the role of law in FGC, and I find myself in an interesting position. The reason I say this is because prior to getting involved with the work to prevent FGC, I did a lot of work with domestic violence (DV) prevention. Part of the reason I became a lawyer was because I thought that the law would do a lot for minimizing the prevalence of domestic violence. I found that the impact of law was not, I guess, that impactful for DV. And that’s why I struggle with it for FGC. I think it’s important for us to have laws that ban the practice; it’s important for us to have laws that define FGC to include khatna. I think those are very important table stakes to set the standard in our community of what’s acceptable and what’s not acceptable. I think it’s also important for the Bohra community, the community I belong to, because the belief in the community is that the law of the land is what the people of the community need to go by. So if the law of the land is, you can’t do this, then by default, the religion is saying, you can’t do this. 

Now, how impactful that is in practice, I don’t know. As a survivor, I feel like storytelling is more impactful, because it reaches people more deeply. It communicates to people how prevalent FGC is, how it has impacted people who have either undergone it, or those who know people who have undergone it, or those who have promoted the practice. 

What, according to you, is the most urgent calling that needs to be supported in order to reach our goal of ending this practice?

Recently I read something that Sahiyo had put out in their Annual Report about critical mass: if there are more voices, if there are enough people in a community who say no, this practice cannot happen. Then only real change can be achieved. Getting enough people to understand it, getting enough people to talk about it, and getting enough resources and education out there, is what I think is going to get us to a critical mass. That is what I want to work toward with Sahiyo.

By Cecilia Mwakenya

Trigger warning: this article contains graphic descriptions of female genital cutting (FGC).

I was born and raised in Chachewa, a small village in Taita Taveta County, Kenya. Taita Taveta County is located approximately 360 kilometers from Nairobi, Kenya's capital city. The Taita and Taveta communities are the most populous ethnic groups in the county, and I am a part of the Taita community.

Growing up in Taita Taveta was an adventure for me because of the serene environment, being surrounded by the Tsavo national park which is a major tourism site in Kenya. Waking up every day to different wild animals and the mountains filled me with such an amazing feeling. It also helped me learn about my culture and the challenges that women and girls face in my community.  This included the inability for some girls to afford sanitary towels,  and in some homes, frequent violence directed towards women. 

When I was 13 years old, studying as an eighth grader in primary school, I met a friend of mine whom I will name Tatu for the purposes of this publication. Tatu was a cheerful and bubbly girl who shared funny jokes with us at school. Even when we weren't in the mood for jokes, she would make us happy and soon we would be smiling like her. Behind her smiles, however, were tears, loneliness, and hidden scars. 

Like myself, Tatu is a native of Taita Taveta County. Unlike myself, she was subjected to FGC when she was only nine years old. As the youngest of six siblings, with four older sisters, Tatu knew to expect what her female relatives called Kukeketwa, also known as FGC. However, she was not prepared for the experience that would shape her to this day, which she told me about. 

"It all began when my mother began preparing me for a 'ceremony' that was to take place during the school holidays. I was in fourth grade and had no idea what the ceremony was about. As the days passed, my elder sisters began telling me about Kukeketwa and how they, too, had been cut. They said it was a transition from childhood to adulthood. I remember that fateful day, when they took me to a secluded dark hut where the whole process was going to take place. I was scared and started crying out loud. There was this woman popularly known as ‘Koko’, plus two other women including my mother. The other woman put a hand on my mouth, and the others tied my legs to the sides, and Koko took a sharp razor and cut my private part. I was crying and I looked at my private parts, and there was blood everywhere, splashing. Immediately they started singing and told me I am now a complete woman. When I reached home I found my other family members celebrating and singing songs of praises, because I had officially become one of them. It took me three weeks before I healed, but I never remained the same again.”

I was so traumatized listening to her story. I did not know behind the exterior of the jovial Tatu, there were scars that will never heal. I was one of the lucky girls because my parents were educated about the harms of this practice, and even with the pressure around the community, they never allowed me to be cut. They were so protective of me, and that is something I am grateful for. In learning from Tatu about the harms of FGC, and living with the privilege of my own exemption from the practice, I grew up with the passion of wanting to work to end FGC. My work at Sahiyo is a part of this, because I believe it is possible to prevent FGC. I want to ensure no other young girls like Tatu will have to hide their pain deeply behind a smile.

On March 9th, the Washington Coalition to End FGM/C, in partnership with Sahiyo, The U.S. End FGM/C Network, Children’s Alliance, and Mother Africa, held a webinar called Protecting Children in Washington State from Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting with the goal of drawing attention to this human rights violation and how it impacts children in the State. The webinar was also held to highlight the need for Senate Bill 5453, which would make female genital cutting (FGC) illegal in the state, provide civil remedies for survivors, and call on education programs on FGC to be created.

A 2016 study by the Population Reference Bureau estimated that 25,000 girls and women in Washington State are living with or at risk of undergoing FGC. The study also ranked the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area as the 5th highest metro area in terms of size of the FGC-affected community in the U.S. 

The webinar hosted a panel discussion in which speakers Absa Samba and Muna Osman shared their personal experiences with FGC as survivors and activists working to end the practice. Researcher Bettina Shell-Duncan discussed how research supports the need for legislation to change social norms around communities believing that FGC had to continue for the good of the child. Finally, Stephan Blanford, Executive Director of the Children’s Alliance highlighted how the state has seen other sharmful ocial norms regarding children change through policy in the state and how he is confident the same could be said if a law on FGC were created.

Watch the recording of the webinar here:

On March 8th, the Global Platform for Action to End FGM/C hosted a parallel event, “There’s an App For That? Technological Innovation and Change Towards Ending Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting” at the NGOCSW67. This webinar explored the ways in which technology, internet communication, and the digitalization of raising awareness can help achieve the elimination of FGM/C. This event also served as an opportunity to hear from some of the leading innovators in the area of technological solutions to addressing FGM/C. 

Sahiyo co-founder and Mumkin co-founder and CEO Priya Goswami, was one of the panelists. She addressed and advocated for the urgent need for feminist technological interventions and the limitations and challenges of developing an innovation around the taboo subject of FGM/C.

Goswami believes that though technology poses some limitations, it has also effectively been used as an important tool for digital activism and feminist storytelling. Now, it is increasingly being used in more sophisticated ways, with apps like Mumkin and i-Cut from Kenya. Some other examples of tech for FGM/C include create interactive maps, such as map created by END FGM EU, which signpost the global prevalence of FGM/C. 

The event also raised the critical issue of the funding gap for building innovations around FGM/C. Goswami emphasized that if we, feminist innovators, trailblazers, and activists, don’t create a technology that represents us, someone out there who does not represent our cause might. “Technologies can be very powerful if written to serve people rather than treat humans as ‘users’”. This is the clarion call for new feminist creators and funders to step up and create change harnessing the power of tech.

The Mumkin app can be found in the Google Play Store for Android phones. 

Arefa Cassoobhoy is a board certified internal medicine physician with expertise in digital health communications. She is committed to raising awareness of topics like female genital cutting and is honored to have served as chair of the Sahiyo U.S. advisory board from 2021-2023.  An advocate for health equity and health literacy, she treats patients and is on the board of directors at the nonprofit Clarkston Community Health Center in Georgia. She is also on the Emory School of Medicine alumni board. She is the former chief medical editor at Everyday Health and was a senior medical director at WebMD and senior medical correspondent at Medscape.

When did you first become involved with Sahiyo?

In 2018 I was researching female genital cutting (FGC) for an article on WebMD when I came across Sahiyo’s media toolkit. It was so well done - helpful and thorough without sensationalizing the topic - that I reached out to Mariya Taher, a cofounder of Sahiyo, to learn more about the nuances of FGC in the U.S. and globally. With her input, I went on to produce a video educating clinicians for Medscape.com in 2019 and started the process for a continuing medical education activity at Medscape.org produced in 2020. From there, my involvement with Sahiyo grew easily, because we share the same mission of educating and empowering individuals to make choices for their body themselves. I worked more with Mariya at conferences, online events, and joined the Sahiyo U.S. Advisory Board, eventually becoming the Chair.

How do you think your background in internal medicine lends itself to Sahiyo’s mission to end female genital cutting (FGC)?  

People who experience FGC may need assistance from a variety of specialists, whether it’s medical and mental health treatment or social and legal assistance. As an internist in the health media space, I’ve been able to support raising awareness about FGC and its consequences with the goal of stopping it from occurring. And I’ve been able to encourage health and medical education for the many groups involved, including survivors, healthcare workers who need the knowledge and skills to appropriately and with empathy treat their patients, and other community members and workers. 

What does this work mean to you?

The work Sahiyo does is special to me because I come from a community that practices FGC and I want that to stop. 

What were your goals as the Sahiyo U.S. Advisory Board Chair? Do you think they were accomplished? 

One key goal I had as the Advisory Board Chair was to support a budget increase for the organization; I’m proud to say during my time as Chair that Sahiyo’s yearly budget tripled. It’s been incredible watching the Sahiyo team broaden the scope of grant applications and initiate new fundraising events like the Silent Auction that just finished. With this added revenue they’ve been able to expand their work dramatically. 

As you transition out of this role, how do you hope to continue supporting Sahiyo?

I plan to continue working with Sahiyo as much as I have been. We have a retreat coming up this year I am excited about. More info to come!  

On March 7th, the Global Platform for Action to End FGM/C issued a joint letter calling for a Global Summit to end female genital cutting/mutilation (FGM/C). The Global Platform, a consortium of civil society organizations, champions, survivors, and grassroots representatives united to support the abandonment and prevention of FGM/C, also called attention to the funding gap (or lack of adequate funding) of over $2 billion. The letter suggests ‘convening a Global Summit aimed at sincere commitments and increased sustainable funding.’

Learn more about this advocacy call.

By Rachel Wine

As the Washington Senate Bill 5453 concerning female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) moves forward in the legislature, I had the honor of speaking with Absa Samba, who has been instrumental in advocating for legislation on FGM/C in Washington state. 

Absa’s advocacy journey began over a decade ago, when Absa was in middle school. She attended a training, which explored gender issues, and it immediately became clear that things like gender expectations, gender roles, and harmful cultural practices were connected.

“I think the training… became a validation for what I've always felt, this inequality that existed in my society, and…  I had language for what was going on, and that's when I started getting involved in advocacy and activism for the rights of women. A big part of that became advocating against harmful cultural practices, like child marriages and female genital cutting.”

Washington, where she currently lives, is one of ten remaining states without a law against FGM/C, though it is one of the highest-risk states; a 2016 study found that the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area was the 5th highest metro area in the U.S. in terms of the size of the FGM/C-affected community. Absa’s background as an activist, and personal connection to this issue and other harmful cultural practices (she is a survivor of FGM/C), inspired her to choose FGM/C as her focus for a policy analysis class assignment. 

“I was just doing an assignment, and I found out through my research that there were two bills that were presented that never made it out of Committee. And I think when I noted that in my paper, my professor asked me to find out why those bills failed, and that's when I reached out to one of the Senator’s office who had sponsored the bill in the Senate.”

What began as a class assignment evolved into an opportunity for Absa to chat Senator Karen Keiser on FGM/C in May of 2022.  

“The Senator herself met with me and wanted to chat about the bill, the issue. And out of that conversation, I was like, okay, maybe a presentation on what FGM is would be helpful for this person, they seem really interested in it. So I opted to do a presentation, and the Senator was gracious enough to take the offer and invited other chairs of different Committees in the Senate to come to that, and it was at that point that I realized I was taking on more than I could afford to at the time. So I was connected with Mariya [Taher] and I reached out to Bettina [Shell-Duncan] and other folks and I said, “Hey, this is an opportunity to talk to these people about FGM in Washington, would you be interested in joining?” And they were kind enough to come on and help me with that presentation, and I think it was that moment that we realized, actually, this is really an opportunity to do something about this issue in Washington State.”

By pulling together support from the FGM/C sphere, Absa unknowingly planted the seed for the group that would become a key stakeholder in SB 5453’s creation. 

Senator Keiser recognized the opportunity to do something from this initial experience; “her desire to introduce a bill on FGM/C solidified this work.” Absa began to facilitate the group working with Senator Kaiser, who was determined to loop in advocates and survivors in creating the bill. Absa would organize meetings and generate statements for the group, which eventually became the Washington Coalition Against FGM/C. The Coalition and various other stakeholders worked closely to co-author the bill, and Absa is rightfully proud of that.

“We've worked with the Senator closely to create the bill, I think what was remarkable was how much time Senator Keiser invested in making sure the bill was the way it should be, that it speaks to the realities of communities that are affected by the issue. That it was done in collaboration with stakeholders in this issue, we [the Washington Coalition] have worked with her in the process of creating a bill to give feedback and input on what we think should be in the bill, and what shouldn't. And working to find a common ground, so that we could work collectively. I think that can be seen in how well the bill was done and how well it's progressing in the legislature at this time.”

As SB 5453 moves to the House after passing in the Senate on March 1st, the Coalition continues to lead the drive for change. Though Absa’s goal was never to form this Coalition or even do this legislative advocacy, she has found herself here by believing in this work. The support of her fellow Coalition members, many of whom are also survivors that care deeply about this work, has also been critical; Absa has learned that “little steps and persistence will inspire others to power it along.” When considering their success, she emphasizes the importance of varied backgrounds and expertise that Coalition members bring to the table, which got things going in the right direction. 

“Building a team and getting various stakeholders involved in making change happen is significant. Collective voice has the power.”

 When asked for any advice she may have for other advocates, or anyone hoping to take a stand for something important to them, Absa had this to say: 

“Do something. Not doing anything is not an option. The little wins matter, and what makes the goal achievable is not entirely dependent on one individual, it takes a collective. The more you keep going, the more people buy into your goal, the closer you get to achieving the goal.” 

In the case of Washington, this certainly rings true.

Absa Samba is a graduate student pursuing a double masters in Social Work and Public Administration at the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy and Governance and the School of Social Work. She is a survivor of FGC and a passionate advocate for women rights. Absa advocacy work started in her home country, The Gambia. 

Absa also works with the International Program in Public Health Leadership and its 119 public health leaders across the African continent, and is serving as a Board Fellow for Communities in Schools Seattle. Absa received Champlain College's Global Impact award in 2019 for her work to advance social justice and women's rights around the world. 

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