FGM/C Sexual Education & Prevention: An Interview with Dr. Reham Awwad
By Kiah Leone In celebration of World Sexual Health Day, I sat down with Dr. Awwad, the co-founder of Egypt’s first-ever multidisciplinary female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) clinic, Restore, to learn about the care and support offered to FGM/C survivors as they navigate relationships with their bodies, their partners, and themselves. The discussion is shared in […]
Psychosexual Care for FGM/C Survivors: An Interview with Dr. Reham Awwad
By Kiah Leone In celebration of World Sexual Health Day on September 4th, I had the opportunity to sit down with Dr. Awwad to learn about the types of care and support Restore offers survivors as they navigate their relationships with their bodies, their partners, and themselves. The results of this discussion will be shared […]
Voices reflection: Speaking freely about my experience
By Somaya Abdelrahman It is safe to say that the day I underwent female genital mutilation (FGM) was by far the worst day of my life. I grew up in a country that is infamous for the high rate of FGM in the region in Egypt. I was cut at the age of 10. I […]
Remembering Egyptian feminist’s heroic fight against female genital cutting
By Madrisha Debnath Despite the fact that the mother of Egyptian Feminist Movement Nawal El Saadawi died at age 89 earlier this year, her fight against patriarchy lives on. Born in 1931, she was an Egyptian writer, psychiatrist, physician, and a powerful feminist activist who fought against female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) for many years. In […]
On the path to healing: My journey after experiencing female genital cutting
By Anonymous Country of Residence: United States Every woman that has been cut has a story to tell. I tell my story not to offer a universal account of female genital cutting (FGC), but one that is specific to me. At a young age, I underwent Type II female genital cutting, known specifically as “taharah” […]
Tracing the Origins of Female Genital Cutting: How It All started
By Debangana Chatterjee Though the exact reason for the origin of Female Genital Cutting (FGC) is unknown due to the dearth of conclusive evidences, multiple theories revolve around how the practice began. FGC precedes both the start of Islam and Christianity and is practised predominantly because of cultural traditions. FGC is not limited to a […]
Khatna and the law, Part 1: Legislative Framework on Female Genital Cutting in Egypt
By Bhavya Singh Since the recognition of the presence of Female Genital Cutting (FGC) in parts of Asia, Africa and the Middle East, efforts have been made to eliminate it in these areas. At the international level, elimination of Female Genital Mutilation is a part of Sustainable Development Goal number five, which seeks to achieve […]
I Said It Loudly: I am an FGM Survivor. Meeting FGM Survivors for the First Time Was My Cursed Blessing
(Note: The following blog was written by a survivor who attended a meeting, the topic of which was on mental health and FGC. Her story highlights the power of storytelling and how it helps break the isolation that many survivors experience in having undergone FGC and dealing with their trauma afterwards, an isolation that Sahiyo […]
FGC Articles & Research in Other Countries
FGC in Asia: FGC in Australia: FGC in Canada: FGC in Colombia: FGC and COVID: FGC in Egypt: FGC and Islam: FGC in Indonesia: FGC in Iran: FGC in Iraq: FGC in Malaysia: FGC in Oman: FGC in Pakistan: FGC in Philippines: FGC in Russia: FGC in Saudi Arabia: FGC in Singapore: FGC in Sri […]
A 17-year-old girl passes away due to circumcision in Egypt
Is circumcision really as harmless as it is made out to be? We woke up to a sad news yesterday as a 17-year-old girl, Mayar Mohammad, died of severe bleeding caused by circumcision surgery in Suez, Egypt. The practice of female circumcision or any form of female genital cutting (FGC) has been banned […]