Sahiyo India holds guest lecture for students in Mumbai
On March 5th, in the run up to International Women’s Day, Sahiyo India was invited to hold a guest lecture on female fenital cutting (FGC) for first-year students of Mumbai’s BMN Women’s College of Home Science; this screening was held in association with Muse Foundation. Sahiyo co-founder Aarefa Johari conducted the online session, which had […]
Sahiyo India to host a panel discussion on ‘How to Stop the Rising Trend of Medicalising Female Genital Cutting in Asia’
On January 20th at 4:30 IST, Sahiyo will host a webinar titled ‘How to Stop The Rising Trend of Medicalisation of Female Genital Cutting in Asia,’ featuring a panel discussion with medical experts and gender rights activists from India and Singapore who specialise in sexual and reproductive health. The medicalisation of female genital cutting (FGC) […]
End FGM – Save our daughters
By: Arwa Country of Residence: India Today, I’m referring the most underrated topic ‘khatna’ or Female Genital Mutilation (FGM/C). I call it underrated because it doesn’t seem like educated persons in my society are talking about it even a little bit. It’s also called ‘Khafz’ in Islamic terms, and it’s a ritual in the Dawoodi […]
Absence of female genital cutting laws in India: An issue that requires immediate action
By Richa Bhargava Age: 20 Country: India As a first year law student in Sonipat, India, I was exposed to the practice of female genital cutting (FGC) as a part of my sociology course. We discussed the practice briefly. The article that formed a majority of our discussion only spoke of the existence of FGC […]
Understanding female genital mutilation/cutting: An ally’s call for action
By: Farhanaz Hazari Age: 18 My fight against female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) can be traced back to the day my mother and sister had a discussion with me on how young girls from the age of 7 are subjected to FGM/C or khatna, as it is known in the Bohra community. They explained it in […]
My experience of learning about female genital cutting: An outsider’s perspective
By Madrisha Debnath Not belonging to a community where female genital cutting (FGC) is practiced, I have often faced questions on how I can understand how the practice could occur if I am an outsider and the religion or culture I grew up in never condoned it. Interestingly, those who have questioned me have been […]
Women should not be harmed because of societal norms
By Sakshi Rajani Age: 17 Country: India Female genital cutting (FGC): the term sounded ruthless the first time I heard it. It was not long ago that I was introduced to this term. While going through my Instagram feed, I read a story about a law student who was spreading awareness about FGC, and I […]
Saved by a lie: A story of female genital cutting
By Zainab Khambata Age: 17 Place of residence: Mumbai, India My maternal grandmother prides herself on being the perfect blend of modernity and religion. But when it came to her own daughter who is my mother, in spite of her misgivings, she still fell in line and got my mother circumcised or cut. Ask my […]
Thaal Pe Charcha: February 2020
On February 8th, as part of our International Zero Tolerance Day for FGM/C, Sahiyo hosted its first Thaal Pe Charcha (TPC) for 2020, with a special private screening of ‘A Girl from Mogadishu’, directed by Mary McGuckain. The film is a true story based on the testimony of Ifrah Ahmed, a Somalian whose suffering acted […]
Virtual Thaal Pe Charcha goes pan India
Sahiyo held an online Thaal Pe Charcha (TPC), which loosely translates as “discussions over food,” on October 31st. TPC is a flagship Sahiyo program typically held in person, but was conducted online due to safety during the pandemic. The current COVID-19 situation may have restricted this TPC to a virtual interaction and taken away the […]