A tale of deception: My conversation with an FGC survivor in Pakistan
By Hina Javed (This is the third part in a series of essays by Hina Javed on her experience of reporting on FGC in Pakistan. Read the whole series here: Pakistan Journal.) The time had come to pick up that phone. Little did I know that my conversation with an FGC survivor would be more […]
The unsolved riddle: conversations with survivors (Part 2)
By Hina Javed (This is the second part in a series of essays by Hina Javed on her experience of reporting on FGC in Pakistan. Read the whole series here: Pakistan Journal.) That night, after witnessing truth being replaced with the censor’s lie, I spent hours alone in my room, flinching at every little thought […]
Sahiyo’s Mariya Taher receives Survivor Activist Award
On Saturday, October 2, the Global Woman P.E.A.C.E. Foundation recognized Sahiyo Cofounder, Mariya Taher with the Survivor Activist Award at their annual 5K Walk to End FGM Charity Event in Washington DC. Mariya along with eight other deserving women and men were given Recognition Awards for the outstanding work toward ending female genital cutting and […]
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 […]
Female Genital Cutting exists to preserve patriarchy: A Bohra survivor speaks out
by Mubaraka MotiwalaAge: 18Country: India (This essay was first published on the Safe City blog on January 22, 2017) Female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as female genital cutting and female circumcision, is the ritual removal of some or all of the external female genitalia. Ever wondered why it’s done? Well I did and I found out what […]
FGM/C from an artist’s perspective: Art for cultural change
By OwantoHow can art promote change? How can it transform the lives of millions of young women and girls?Art offers another platform to increase visibility and raise awareness about this global issue. More than 200 million girls and women alive today have been cut in 30 countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. In the […]
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 […]
Sahiyo teams up with Breakthrough to shine a spotlight on stories from FGC survivors
Since the end of 2015, Sahiyo has been sharing the stories of both women and men who have negatively been affected by the practice of female genital cutting within the Dawoodi Bohra Community. Now, from June 2nd to June 9th, Sahiyo and Breakthrough will be running a joint storytelling campaign to further shine a spotlight […]
Art: A Tool for Healing and Dialogue with Communities Affected by FGM
By Naomi Rosen Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C), although often surrounded by secrecy and taboo, is now discussed more frequently in the media. Activist groups such as Sahiyo are taking great steps to heighten awareness and dialogue, within relational, familial, and community contexts, because the practice is often hidden, shameful, and the subject is therefore avoided. […]
Cafe Dissensus runs a special issue on female circumcision in the Bohra community
Cafe Dissensus, an alternative magazine about dissenting art, culture, literature and politics, has run a special May issue focusing solely on female genital cutting or khatna in the Dawoodi Bohra community. Guest-edited by Australian author Rashida Murphy, the FGC-special issue features fifteen essays and deeply personal stories by survivors of khatna and women who are driving […]