Female genital cutting: Underacknowledged and underrecognized in the United States
By Cate Cox On June 3rd, 2021 Sahiyo partnered with the Connecticut Trauma and Gender Learning Collaborative and The George Washington University associate professor Dr. Karen McDonnell to hold a training for healthcare professionals who may interact with survivors of female genital cutting (FGC). The Connecticut Trauma and Gender Learning Collaborative focuses on trauma-informed and gender-responsive treatment. Many of […]
Webinar: Female genital cutting is an under-recognized form of gender-based violence in the U.S.
By Cate Cox On April 15th, Sahiyo partnered with the U.S. End FGM/C Network and the Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence (APIGBV) for our webinar: Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C): An Under-Recognized Form of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in the Unites States. This webinar was the second in a series that explored the intersection of FGM/C and GBV; how COVID-19 […]
The United States has a law banning female genital cutting. What now?
By Hunter Kessous On January 5th, the H.R. 6100-STOP FGM Act was signed into law, upon being passed through the House of Representatives and the Senate unanimously. The federal law criminalizes female genital cutting (FGC), a form of gender-based violence against young girls, which involves medically unnecessary partial or total removal of the external genitalia. […]
Texas woman charged for Female Genital Cutting: Sahiyo press statement
A woman from Houston, Texas (USA) has been charged under federal United States’ law for transporting a minor out of the country for the purpose of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C). According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) which is investigating this case, the 39-year-old woman allegedly transported the child sometime between July 10 to […]
Is legal action against female genital cutting enough to end the practice?
Understanding the impact of a Sahiyo co-founder’s documentary film, A Pinch of Skin, in India by Priya Goswami In September 2018, the Indian Supreme Court referred a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on the prevalence of female genital cutting (FGC) in India to a five-judge constitution bench. My documentary film, A Pinch of Skin, was quoted […]
Survivor: Female genital mutilation as a form of ritual abuse
By Nevaeh Novak (Trigger warning: Below is one woman’s account of her experience with female genital mutilation in the United States. This story is deeply disturbing and may be triggering for some. We thank her for being brave and sharing her story with us.) My experience of female genital mutilation (FGM) was not due […]
Crave Foundation recognizes Sahiyo co-founder Mariya Taher as 2020 grantee
by Jenny Cordle The Crave Foundation for Women selected Sahiyo co-founder Mariya Taher as one of their inaugural recipients for an individual grant in recognition for her work to end female genital cutting (FGC) in Asian communities and beyond. In 2015, she co-founded Sahiyo – United Against Female Genital Cutting, an award-winning, transnational organization with the mission […]
Massachusetts Senate passes FGM/C bill
BOSTON, MA – July 30, 2020 – Sahiyo would like to thank the President of the Massachusetts Senate, Karen Spilka, and bill sponsor Senator Joe Boncore (D-First Suffolk and Middlesex) for the passage of bill H4606 “An Act Relative to the Penalties for the crime of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C)” in Massachusetts. The FGM/C bill had […]
Massachusetts House passes FGM/C bill
July 16, 2020 – The Massachusetts House of Representatives has just voted favorably in an informal session to pass a bill to protect girls from female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). H.4606 – An Act Relative to the Penalties for the Crime of Female Genital Mutilation will now go to the Senate floor for a vote. Survivor […]
Why human rights education, including FGC, is crucial for American classrooms
By Hunter Kessous Throughout high school, whenever I would tell people about my future goals to help survivors of female genital cutting (FGC), nine times out of ten the response would be, “What is FGC?” This is a question I never minded. As a human rights advocate, I’ve always taken the opportunity to educate my […]