The Courage to Speak: Severina reflects on the journey of sharing her FGM/C Story
By: Megan Seaver Severina Lemachokoti is an anti-FGM campaigner, a human rights defender and a gender rights activist from the Samburu community in Northern Kenya. She was interviewed by Sahiyo’s editorial coordinator, Sheena Vasani. In this interview, Severina reflects on her experience being a part of the first Voices to End FGC cohort and how […]
CALL TO ACTION: Expanding Survivor Protections in Washington State with SB 6017
By: Khushi Prakash The Washington Coalition to end Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) has partnered with Senator Tina Orwall to work on a SB 6017, legislation introduced to build on the existing FGM/C law. The bill is scheduled for hearing on Monday, January 26 at 10:30am PT before the Senate Law and Justice Committee. The primary […]
Know Your Rights: A Resource for Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting Survivors
By Hiromi Nishida At Sahiyo, we aim to address all facets of female genital cutting (FGC) at the global, national, state, and local levels; our mission is not only about ending FGC, but also about contributing to a broader culture of healing and healthy expression of female sexuality, autonomy, and strength. FGC, also known as […]
Dear Maasi: How Do I Regain Pleasure After Going Through FGM?
Dear Maasi, is a column about everything you wanted to know about sex and relationships but were afraid to ask! It’s a partnership between Sahiyo and WeSpeakOut, and is for all of us who have questions about khatna (female genital mutilation/cutting or FGM/C) and how it impacts our bodies, minds, sexualities and relationships. We welcome […]
Who Can Help? A Guide to Finding the Right Medical Care for Survivors of Female Genital Cutting
By Dr. Arefa Cassoobhoy and Dr. Stacia Crochet While research indicates that there are over 500,000 women and girls in the United States who may have experienced or be at risk for female genital cutting (FGC), the reality is that many physicians, nurses, and other health care workers in the US may not know much […]
The Leaking House
By: Inisa Jaliwala I was told the house I grew up in was a hundred years old. I’d repeat this to my friends at school proudly, relishing the mystique of living in a century-old home. I later learned this was a hyperbole – a story told to describe the decrepit state of our building. The […]
Healing, Resistance, and Care: What Ethiopia’s Movement Against Female Genital Cutting Taught Me:
By: Dr. Zinia Afrin Doza (MBBS, MPH) I first heard about female genital cutting (FGC) when I started volunteering with the NGO called the Inter-African Committee (IAC), which worked to eliminate harmful practices, specifically child marriage & FGC. As a medical doctor and public health professional from Bangladesh, I thought I understood most of the […]
“No tolerance for violence”: Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in Hawaii
By Anonymous On October 1, 2025, the first day of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a community-organized rally in Honolulu took place, which intended to increase public consciousness surrounding the issue. Advocates emphasized that domestic violence is a critical crisis that has been on the rise since the Covid-19 pandemic, and that it “can happen to […]
Relearning Masculinity by Turning Culture into Care, not Control
By Noor Ul Sabah, Sahiyo Volunteer In every culture, stories about what it means to ‘be a man’ are told long before boys even learn how to talk. Young boys are told through gestures, silences, and rituals. They are shown in the ways fathers, brothers, and elders model strength. But when those stories teach that […]
15 States and DC Join Lawsuit Against Trump’s Executive Order Conflating Gender-Affirming Care and FGM/C
By Hiromi Nishida On August 1, 2025, the states of California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Wisconsin joined in a lawsuit against President Trump’s Executive Order (EO) 14187, “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation”. This EO […]