Engaging Across Gendered Walls: Talking to Men about FGC
By Zahara Kagalwalla Female Genital Cutting (FGC) has long been confined to spaces occupied by women. It is spoken about in hushed tones, passed down as a “woman’s thing,” a ritual overseen and upheld by grandmothers, mothers, aunts, and elderly women in the community. Men, for the most part, remain absent—silent onlookers, if they are looking […]
Connecticut Coalition Members Testify on Bill #1438
By: Katie Bai After five years of tireless work from advocates, survivors, as well as medical and legal professionals in the Connecticut Coalition to End FGM/C, Bill #1438 – a bill that would protect women and girls from female genital mutilation in Connecticut – was introduced in the Connecticut Joint Committee on Judiciary. While the Coalition […]
You don’t know how much you need it until it’s over
By Umme Kulsoom Arif, Esq. I first attended a Sahiyo Activists’ Retreat in 2022, when virtual meetings were still the norm. Since then, I have been a member of the Activists’ Retreat planning committee, working on programming and logistics for in-person and virtual retreats alike. The 2025 Activists’ Retreat was my second in-person retreat. I’m not […]
Washington D.C. Passes Comprehensive Law to Protect Children from Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting
By: Katie Bai After six years of tireless work from survivors, advocates, and legislators, Washington, D.C. has enacted L25-0322, now D.C. § 22–1431, titled the “Female Genital Mutilation Prohibition Act of 2024.” We celebrate the comprehensiveness of this law and are proud to witness D.C. become the final member of the Washington D.C., Maryland, and […]
The History of Addressing Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting via Legislation in Connecticut
By: Katie Bai Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is a harmful social norm involving the partial or total removal of female-assigned external genitalia or other injury to the female-assigned genital organs for non-medical reasons. Globally, over 230 million girls and women have undergone FGM/C. FGM/C has a long history in the United States, and currently, over […]
The History of Addressing Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in Montana
By: Katie Bai Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is a harmful social norm involving the partial or total removal of female-assigned external genitalia or other injury to the female-assigned genital organs for non-medical reasons. Globally, over 230 million girls and women have undergone FGM/C. FGM/C has a long history in the United States, and currently, over […]
Urge Senator Winfield to Protect Girls from FGM/C in Connecticut
It’s been four long years of advocating for a comprehensive bill that protects girls from female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in Connecticut, and we’ve finally reached the point of having a raised bill that the Connecticut Coalition to End FGM/C supports. But we need your help. If you can, please call Senator Winfield and request that […]
Reflecting on the Critical Intersections Webinar
On February 27th, Sahiyo’s Research Coordinator Rachel Wine, and Executive Director Mariya Taher led the webinar, “Intersectional Approaches Strengthen Alliances and Build Movements to End FGM/C,” to announce the publication of the third and final report for Sahiyo’s Critical Intersections Research Project project, Examining Intersections Between Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting and Social Oppressions: A Qualitative Study. The […]
Reflecting on “Storytelling as a Tool for Female Genital Mutilation/ Cutting (FGM/C) Survivor-Centered Change” at CSW 69
On March 18, 2025, Sahiyo co-hosted a powerful parallel session during the 69th Commission on the Status of Women titled “Storytelling as a Tool for FGM/C Survivor-Centered Change.” Organized in partnership with the Voices to End FGM/C program collaborators—Silence Speaks and the Asian Women’s Shelter—the event took place at the Church Center for the United […]
Reframing FGM/C Through an Intersectional Lens at CSW69
On March 13, 2025, the Global Platform for Action to End FGM/C hosted a powerful session at the 69th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69), titled “Reframing FGM/C Through an Intersectional Lens.” Held at the Church Center for the United Nations, this event created a space for critical dialogue, collective reflection, and renewed commitments […]