I Am SORRY!
By Isatou Jeng For over a decade, I have used my voice and my story as a survivor of FGM/C to raise awareness around the issue. I started at a time when it was considered too “shameful” to share my personal experience as a survivor. I am glad that I shared my story regardless, though, as […]
My Journey to Advocacy
By Fadima Tall When I was invited to join the Sahiyo Voices to End FGM/C workshop, I was hesitant to accept. I had only been in the field of FGM/C advocacy for a few months and was still finding my footing as an advocate. I had always struggled with speaking about emotional topics, perhaps as a […]
Staff Spotlight: Communications Assistant Kira Omans
Kira joins Sahiyo with a background in humanitarian advocacy, communications, community outreach, and storytelling. She completed her B.F.A. with a concentration in Stage and Screen Performance and a Communications minor from George Mason University. She also works as an activist fighting for adoptee rights. Kira is dedicated to Sahiyo’s mission of ending female genital cutting, […]
Bringing female genital cutting to the forefront: How Sahiyo helped Nevin Sutherland attend the 2024 Asian Studies Conference
This past March, Sahiyo had the honor of supporting Nevin Sutherland in attending the Association for Asian Studies 2024 Annual Conference. This annual conference focuses on facilitating conversations about and around Asian cultures. Nevin, a current PhD student at Delhi University, sought to highlight the issue of female genital cutting (FGC) in the hopes of […]
The Washington Coalition to End FGM/C Interview Series: Dr. Muna Osman
Recently, policy interns at Sahiyo have been interviewing members of the Washington Coalition to End FGM/C to learn more about coalition members’ important work toward policy creation on female genital cutting (FGC). Sahiyo’s policy intern, Sara Khattak, talked to coalition member Dr. Muna Osman, DNP FNP-BC, a prominent advocate in the work to end FGC […]
The forgotten history of female genital cutting in the United States
By: Sara Khattak Female genital cutting (FGC) is a practice involving the partial or total removal of external female genitalia or other injury to female genital organs for non-medical reasons. While FGC is a form of gender-based violence that is often mistakenly understood to only occur in certain cultural traditions in Africa and the Middle East, […]
How can you, as an ordinary person, help end female genital cutting?
By: Sara Khattak We hear a lot of sayings about creating change. “You can make a difference” is a common phrase used to inspire people to become more engaged in the world around them. But that phrase isn’t always helpful. How do people actually make a difference? Most Americans rely on their elected officials to […]
Interview with Zehra Patwa of the Connecticut Coalition to End FGM/C
Recently, policy interns at Sahiyo have been interviewing members of the Connecticut (CT) Coalition to End FGM/C to learn more about its members and all the important work they contribute toward ending female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). For the first two blogs, we interviewed Caitlin LeMay and Joanne Golden. In our third blog, Sahiyo’s policy intern, Juliet Shires, spoke to Zehra […]
Reflecting on the “Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in California – Past, Present, and Future” Webinar
On October 11, Sahiyo in partnership with Equality Now, The U.S. End FGM/C Network, and the Greater Los Angeles FGM Taskforce held a joint webinar titled, “Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in California – Past, Present, and Future.” The event was moderated by Sahiyo U.S. Executive Director, Mariya Taher and Shivagi Misra of Equality Now. The event […]
Walking Together: My Experience at the Annual Walk to End Female Genital Mutilation in D.C.
By Samman Masud This year, I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the Annual Walk to End Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), held in Washington, D.C. on September 28th, 2024. The sense of community prior to the walk was palpable when I arrived at the amphitheater nestled across from the Washington Monument. I got a […]