Four American survivors of FGC speak out
Four American survivors of Female Genital Cutting have broken the culture of silence around the issue through a new video. These women, from diverse backgrounds, illustrate that FGC is not restricted to any one geography, religion, or socioeconomic class. The four women featured in the video produced by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of International […]
Engendering Progress Event Honours Sahiyo Co-founder
The Manhattan Young Democrats (MYD) held their 8th annual Engender Progress event honoring women thought-leaders, activists, entrepreneurs, and businesswomen on March 30th. This event is the hallmark of the MYD’s calendar and it honors powerful women, in order to inspire the next generation of young women to follow in their footsteps.Sahiyo’s Mariya Taher was one of the women honoured […]
A conversation on Khatna with Suleimani Bohras
Sahiyo co-founder Shaheeda Tavawalla-Kirtane talks to Shabnam Muqbil and her husband, Koen Van den Brande, who give us an introduction to the Suleimanis and throw light on the practice of ‘khatna’ amongst their community. Shaheeda: Please share with us the history of the Suleimanis and where they come from? Shabnam: The Suleimani Bohras (Suleimanis) are a […]
Sahiyo participates in kick-off event for Women’s March in Frankfurt, Germany
On January 20th, the Modern Abolitionist Global Campaign will start a two day campaign, with a kick -off event that will be a screening of movies dealing with gender violence and discrimination against women. The following day, on January 21st, the Modern Abolitionist Global Campaign will hold the Frankfurt Women’s March on Washington. Sahiyo will […]
Sahiyo participates in the End Violence Against Girls Summit on FGM/C
Sahiyo’s Mariya Taher and Insia Dariwala participated in the End Violence Against Girls: Summit on FGM/C in Washington, DC on December 2, at the U.S. Institute of Peace. For the first time ever, the United Nations has prioritized the elimination of FGC under the goal of achieving gender equality as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)—a 15-year plan to help […]
Sahiyo Volunteer Spotlight: Chandni Shiyal
Sahiyo is an organization with the mission to empower Asian communities to end female genital cutting through community collaboration, and this work could not be done without dedicated volunteers supporting us. To show our appreciation, we would like to spotlight those volunteers who have made invaluable contributions to this organisation.Chandni Shiyal, a Ph.D. scholar in Mumbai, has […]
Conversations on khatna and social norms with Mumbai community workers
On October 6, Sahiyo co-founders Insia Dariwala and Aarefa Johari were given an opportunity to introduce the topic of Female Genital Cutting to a host of grassroots social workers in Mumbai. This opportunity came through an invitation from the Justice and Peace Commission, one of many organisations run by the Catholic Church in Mumbai to […]
When Sahyog gave Sahiyo an opportunity to engage with young students
by Aarefa JohariOn September 3, Sahiyo’s Mumbai team was invited to give a talk to college students enrolled in the Pehchaan programme run by Sahyog, a reputed non-profit organisation providing support to women and children from marginalised communities. Sahyog’s ‘Pehchaan’ initiative offers skills-training and mentorship programmes to students from low-income families at the PN Doshi […]
A note on terminology and why Sahiyo uses FGC
By Mariya Taher When I was in graduate school in 2008 for my Master of School Work degree, I began seriously and thoroughly researching the topic of Female Genital Cutting (FGC). Some of you reading this blog might already be aware of my personal connection to the issue due to the research and writings […]
Underground in America: Female Genital Cutting
On June 22, 2016, Sahiyo’s cofounder, Mariya Taher came out on camera to discuss FGC in the United States and the work she has been doing to support other women and girls who are at-risk or who have undergone FGC and are living in this country. Her work into this area of gender violence began […]