July 31, 2022 – After five years of supporting survivors of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in sharing their stories, Sahiyo and StoryCenter announce the launch of a new website dedicated to highlighting this underrecognized human rights violation.

"As a survivor of female genital cutting, I have experienced the frustration of being reduced to a statistic: one of the 200 million women and girls worldwide to have undergone the cut. As an activist working to end the practice, I have felt indignation at the often sensationalized ways in which survivors' stories are depicted in the media. This is why Voices to End FGM/C is such an important, game-changing platform. It provides both survivors and activists with a safe and supportive environment and gives them the tools to share their stories with their own voices, words, and perspectives. Over 50 storytellers have benefitted from Voices over the past five years, and I am grateful to be one of them." ~ Aarefa Johari, co-founder and trustee, Sahiyo India 

This website, voicestoednfgmc.org, features stories from dozens of survivors who have taken part in the Voices to End FGM/C project over the years. This project brings together cohorts of survivors and activists every year, and empowers each participant to tell their own story by creating a short video. Voices to End FGM/C has facilitated the creation of 55 such stories from over 19 countries, including the United States, Canada, India, Singapore, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, Tanzania, Chad, and more. The storytellers represent a range of ages, economic statuses, cultural backgrounds, and gender identities.

"We're really excited to have this new platform which pulls all the Voices content together and showcases the courage and creativity of the many storytellers we've worked with over the years." ~ Amy Hill, StoryCenter Silence Speaker Director 

After years of feedback and demand for such resources, this new website is a centralized platform, not just for the videos and blogs by survivors and activists, but also for educational and informational content created over the past five years. 

“In the struggle to end FGM/C, it is imperative to center the voices of activists with lived experience. These videos are used to help educate legislators and convince them to pass legislation banning FGM/C such as occurred in Massachusetts in the United States in August 2020.” ~ Mariya Taher, Sahiyo U.S. Cofounder & Executive Director

The highlights of the website are the Voices to End FGM/C videos found on the Storyteller Video page. Behind-the-scenes footage of the workshops is also available, as are blogs written by storytellers about their experiences. Visitors can also keep up with upcoming events and workshops, including the Fall 2022 Voices to End FGM/ workshop. 

Contact Sahiyo: 1-857-209-4160

Email Kristel Mendoza Castillo: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

About Sahiyo

Founded in 2015, Sahiyo’s mission is to empower Asian and other communities to end female genital cutting and create positive social change through dialogue, education, and collaboration based on community involvement.

About StoryCenter

Mission Statement: We create spaces for listening to and sharing stories, to help build a just and healthy world. Our public and custom workshops provide individuals and organizations with skills and tools that support self-expression, creative practice, and community building.

Since January 2022, Sahiyo has been in collaboration with Asian Women's Shelter (AWS) to increase capacity of services for survivors of female genital cutting (FGC). In June, Sahiyo conitnued with  trainings on FGC for the AWS staff and volunteers to help educate their organization on the context of FGC in the United Stataes, who FGC impacts, and considerations around how to work with survivors and communities impacted by FGC. 

Asian Women’s Shelter is 501c3 with the mission to eliminate domestic violence by promoting the social, economic and political self-determination of women and all survivors of violence and oppression. AWS is committed to every person's right to live in a violence-free home, and has a specific focus towards addressing the cultural and language needs of immigrant, refugee, and U.S.-born Asian and Arab women and their children.

These trainings organized by Sahiyo are part of a larger 3-year project Sahiyo is undertaking in partnership with AWS and StoryCenter withfunding from the Department of Justice - Office of Victim’s of Crime , to better integrate FGC into mainstream and culturally specific gender-based violence prevention and support organizations in order to bolster overall support and capacity of care for survivors of FGC within the United States. 

Read more about AWS trainings.

Within the U.S., there are currently 10 states without any laws in place to protect girls from Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C); Connecticut is one of those states. Since 2021, the Connecticut Coalition to End FGM/C has been working to build holistic solutions for supporting survivors and preventing future generations of girls from experiencing FGM/C in the State of Connecticut. The Coalition is made up of a diverse range of stakeholders, who advocate for comprehensive legislation to protect girls from FGM/C, provide survivors with support services, raise awareness of the harm FGM/C causes, and educate frontline professionals on how to provide culturally specific and sensitive care. 

In June 2022, CT Coalition members Mariya Taher of Sahiyo and Steven Hernandez of theCT Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity & Opportunity hosted a conversation to discuss women’s bodily autonomy and FGM/C, to further raise awarenss of this issue within the state.

Listen to their conversation here.

On June 20th, Sahiyo co-founder Aarefa Johari submitted an online oral statement on Female Genital Cutting (FGC) in Asia at the United Nations’ 50th Human Rights Council. The statement was made on behalf of the Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW) and the Asia Network to End Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting. 

The video statement was aired at an HRC “Interactive Dialogue session with the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.” It was one of over 75 video statements about health rights made by activists and experts from around the world. 

Johari’s statement highlighted the widespread prevalence of FGC in several Asian countries, and the lack of resources and attention towards addressing the issue in these nations. Johari called on UN member states to undertake thorough research on FGC in Asia, increase funding towards community-based organisations working to end the practice, and to enact legislation to prohibit all forms of FGC. 

You can view Johari’s video statement here.

On June 23rd, Caitlin LeMay, LCSW of the US End FGM/C Network, and Mariya Taher, MSW, MFA of Sahiyo, parterned to provide a workshop on Female Genital Cutting (FGC) for social workers through Boston College Continuing Education. The workshop provided an introductory foundation for understanding what FGC is, including prevalence in the U.S. and globally, and best practices for working with survivors. Pre- and post-evaluations revealed a significant increase in participants’ confidence with talking about and addressing FGC in their social work practices, and how to provide relevant resources if needed.

Boston College Continuing Education, in collaboration with the School of Social Work, offers a series of workshops three times a year - in Spring, Summer, and Fall - for new and experienced social workers looking to earn CEUs to maintain their license.

We are proud to announce that Sahiyo U.S. Advisory Board Member Joanna Vergoth, LCSW, NCPsyA, was chosen as a 2021 CRAVE Foundation for Women grant recipient. She is a psychotherapist, specializing in trauma and was choosen as a recipient for her committed activism of over 20 years in helping those impacted by Female Genital Cutting (FGC). The CRAVE Foundation for Women was established to support individuals working towards creating a world where pleasure is a universal human right.

Read more about Joanna’s work here.

Sahiyo U.S. would like to thank our friends at the Peace Development Fund for a core support grant award of $5,000.00. The Peace Development Fund supports organizations who are working to shift power, build a movement, dismantle oppression, and create new structures. This grant, from their Community Organizing Grants Fund, is made possible by hundreds of donors across the country who believe in investing in grassroots community organizations such as Sahiyo U.S. 

These funds will help Sahiyo specifically by expanding our Community Outreach and Education Program, which trains health care providers, government officials, law enforcement, social services, and other community based organizations on ways to support female genital cutting (FGC) survivors; planning for our next Annual Activist Retreat, where we train advocates to continue their work raising awareness against FGC; and conducting valuable research investigating the needs of FGC survivors and the intersections of FGC and other oppressions, such as discrimination based on race, gender, religion, sexuality, and diverse migrant experiences.

Sahiyo U.S. is grateful to be welcomed as one of the newest member organizations of South Asian SOAR, a U.S.-based coalition working to end gender-based violence (GBV) in the South Asian diaspora. SOAR is a national collective of survivors, 30+ organizations, and allies who are passionate about changing the high prevalence of GBV among South Asians (over half of South Asians experience some form of GBV). SOAR works to strengthen the field that serves survivors, shift the narrative through data and community-based research, and support the healing and leadership of survivors through storytelling. By bridging urgent, direct-service work with national-level action and advocacy, SOAR is co-creating a future of joy, healing, and justice.

Learn more about South Asian SOAR’s work.