By Nesha Abiraj

It is an understood global reality that women and girls are facing the harshest impacts of the climate crisis. Yet we seldom hear advocates at the frontlines of the climate crisis, speaking to the impact on human rights.  Thankfully, this is changing. In January of 2023, I was invited by the North County Climate Change Alliance in California to present on climate justice and human rights. A few days prior to the presentation, the organizers asked if they could use my Sahiyo Voices Video from 2021 to introduce me as a speaker. Elated, I immediately said yes. On the day of the presentation, my colleague and fellow Climate Reality Leader, Justin Lowery, delivered  my  introduction. He clearly identified and articulated  the connection I was aiming to make: the intersectionality between the climate crisis and the exacerbation of human rights violations, including female genital cutting (FGC), and by extension the need for international climate justice.

People were beginning to understand just how much more was at stake, and I was hearing people speak about FGC and child marriage in spaces where I had not otherwise expected to hear it. This past year, after doing similar presentations, people came up to me expressing their shock and deep concern that these harmful practices even existed in the regions and/or communities they lived in. There were people learning about FGC for the first time, and some expressed a desire to learn more so that they could integrate this and other human rights violations into their work on the climate crisis.

The UN Secretary General in his 2022 remarks stated that  humanity now faces a “collective suicide pact” on account of the climate crisis. According to UNICEF, as the climate crisis pushes more children and families into extreme poverty, 9 million more children may suffer from wasting, the most life-threatening form of malnutrition by the end of 2022. We are now in 2023. More than 200 million women and girls alive today have undergone FGC and more than 400 million girls are now more vulnerable to this harm because of the climate crisis. UNICEF projects that one billion children are at extremely high risk due to the  impacts of the climate crisis.

In the face of such startling data, how can we not act?

Since learning about the climate crisis through training to become a Climate Reality Leader  with the Climate Reality Project, as well as continued research, I have integrated the impacts of the climate crisis in my work to promote the protection of women and girls from harmful practices such as FGC. Additionally, recognizing the need for international law and policy to provide a pathway for justice, accountability, and a deterrent to slow the pace of the climate crisis, I have also become an advocate for climate justice with Stop Ecocide International, specifically advocating for ecocide to become the 5th International Crime Against Peace. 

Simply put, laws geared towards environmental protection are woefully inadequate, and environmental crimes continue to occur at great costs to humanity because these crimes are treated with impunity. The people who are forced to bear the worst consequences of the climate crisis often come from vulnerable regions that are usually the lowest emitters of greenhouse gases. It is their lives that are being upended as a result of actions they had nothing to do with. That includes the women and girls who are now at a heightened risk of having FGC performed on them.

The impact of the climate crisis on human rights and the urgent need for climate justice must be made central to any climate related policy. If we proceed as is without integrating these impacts, we run the risk of leaving millions of women and girls behind and at severe risk of harm. 

Women and girls are counting on us. You can help them by getting more involved in Sahiyo’s work as a volunteer or by signing on to Sahiyo’s petition to the United Nations. You can also support Sahiyo’s efforts by donating. These funds enable Sahiyo to support and train advocates, host educational webinars, and support survivors. In 2021 I was able to participate in the Voices project as an advocate at no cost to me. Two years later I continue to support making it possible for others to have the benefit of these educational and training opportunities at no cost. You too can do the same for someone else. 

Nesha Abiraj is an International Human Rights Lawyer. She is currently serving in her second year as an Ambassador to Island States and vulnerable coastal regions on International Climate Justice and Human Rights with Island Innovation. She also serves as an Ambassador to Stop Ecocide International, an organisation seeking to make ecocide, which is broadly understood to mean largescale and systematic destruction of nature, the 5th International Crime against Peace. Nesha also serves as a member of the US National Coalition to end early, forced and child marriages and is a US Advisory Board Member to Sahiyo. She previously worked with Human Rights Watch, Save the Children and continues to serve as a Lead Advocate for UNICEF USA on international humanitarian response relating to key poverty focused issues impacting the lives of children living in humanitarian and developmental settings including conflict zones. She is also a Climate Reality Leader and a member of the Commonwealth Lawyers Association. 

In 2020 and 2021, the Department of Justice - Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) awarded grants to organizations across the U.S. who deliver community-based programming to end FGC. The goal of this grant was to encourage educating communities and forming community networks of agencies and organizations that were positioned to identify those at risk and respond to survivors. Sahyo, in partnership with Asian Women’s Shelter (AWS) and StoryCenter, was awarded one of these three-year grants.

At the end of January 2023, Sahiyo U.S.attended the OVC grantee convening in Washington DC. Over the course of the two-day gathering, participants were able to network, discuss challenges and opportunities in their work with FGC survivors, and build strategies and skills to take back and implement in their programming.

During the event, Sahiyo’s Executive Director Mariya Taher facilitated two workshops, the first around strategies to build survivor engagement in programming, and the second looking at effective solutions to encourage male engagement in the work to end FGC.

To learn more about Sahiyo’s work with AWS, visit our Technical Assistance page.    

By FA

When I was a teenager, my family discouraged me from speaking out against khatna, or female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), for fear of repercussions from our community. I wanted to use my voice, but I did not want to disappoint my parents or bring shame to my family. As I followed the Detroit FGM case in 2018, I became increasingly disappointed as it all unraveled. Then I learned about Sahiyo and the amazing work they were doing to end FGM/C; I decided to use my voice to advocate for what I believe to be right.

As a part of my advocacy, I am volunteering with the Washington Coalition to End FGM/C. While forty states already have anti FGM/C laws, Washington State does not currently have such a law. A 2016 study ranked the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area as the fifth largest metro area in the U.S. in terms of the size of the FGM/C-affected community, which makes this lack of legislation especially concerning.

State laws are critical in our journey to end this practice for a variety of reasons. For example, WA Senate Bill 5453, a bill heard on January 30th by the Senate Committee on Law & Justice , will create a private right of action for victims of FGM/C which will allow survivors to stand up for themselves in court when they are ready to do so. It prohibits providers from performing FGM/C on a minors, which helps curtail vacation cutting practices (sending the girl away on a “vacation” abroad with family for her to be cut). It establishes education and outreach initiatives to help teach families about the harms of FGM/C. Moreover, it provides care for victims by strengthening the mandatory reporting requirements to include FGM/C. By adding FGM/C to the mandatory reporting list, it will be legally required for certain fields to report the harm to the authorities (ie. child abuse reporting laws). 

These civil remedies give victims some of their power back, but it is not enough to deter others from committing this act in the future. In order to discourage community cutters from performing this act, there needs to be a strong deterrent in place. Based on my experiences, there is an enormous amount of cultural pressure to perform FGM/C. The penalties must be heavy enough to deter the cutter, and from what I have seen, monetary fees are not enough. For me, it is important that this bill includes an element of criminalization for those who perform the cutting, in addition to civil remedies.

One of the aspects that I love about Sahiyo is the multi-faceted approach taken to end FGM/C. I am proud that the proposed bill reflects this approach and hope that you are able to support its passage.

1. Submit written testimony
2. Testify virtually
3. To vote pro
4. Testify in-person

Statement from the Washington Coalition:

We are a newly formed Coalition working to end the practice of FGM/C in the State of Washington. We comprise a broad group of survivors, stakeholders and advocates. Forty US States have laws banning the practice of FGM/C. Washington has yet to address this important human rights issue in any manner. This proposed legislation SB 5453 under review today is a good first step towards ending the practice and supporting survivors in Washington State.

Review the Washington Coalition’s factsheet to learn more about this bill and its significance.

Aries Nuño is a graduate student at Johns Hopkins University pursuing a Master of Science in Public Health, with interests centered around the socio-cultural influences on an individual’s experience with their sexual and reproductive health. Currently, she works for the Center for Communication Programs, where she is actively involved in the formative research process to address FGM/C in Ebonyi, Nigeria utilizing human-centered design efforts. Additionally, she works for the Center for Indigenous Health, primarily supporting the expansion of web-based access to self-administered STI and HIV testing for Indigenous populations across the US. Before her academic journey at Hopkins, she served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Lesotho, co-developing initiatives for reducing the incidence of HIV/AIDS. 

What was your experience of learning about FGC for the first time like?

I might have been in high school at the time, and though I don’t remember the exact moment I first learned about FGM/C, I remember carrying a heavy feeling of discomfort as I tried to wrap my head around the pain and hurt this practice caused. It wasn’t until the COVID-19 pandemic that I revisited the topic, watching a documentary called “The girl who said no to FGM,” highlighting Jaha Dukureh’s story. From there, I invested more time into researching (reading books such as Transcultural Bodies: Female Genital Cutting in Global Context) to learn more about the cultural/traditional relevance of FGM/C, in addition to some of the socioeconomic motives for its continuance.    

When and how did you first get involved with Sahiyo?

I first heard about Sahiyo through a professor at my university whose work involves improving healthcare for women affected by FGM/C. I was seeking opportunities to support organizations and individuals working to end FGM/C in a way that allowed me to contribute my public health background to raise awareness and advocate for change. Once I learned more about Sahiyo’s history as an organization and its multifaceted approach to education and awareness raising, I was eager to support their mission.

What does your work with Sahiyo involve?

I have been volunteering with Sahiyo for a little over a year now, and I’ve had the opportunity to collaborate on a variety of initiatives. My first assignment with Sahiyo was to assist with a literature review as part of the formative research for their Critical Intersections project, a global study seeking to address ways in which FGM/C interacts with other forms of oppression. Most recently, on the same project, I’ve conducted in-depth interviews with professionals and anti-FGM/C advocates to collect qualitative data regarding their perspectives on how FGM/C intersects with other social justice issues; this was to better understand the challenges and needs of survivors from diverse backgrounds. Other projects over the year have included copyediting reports, assisting in a service provider training session, and developing informational handouts and a screening guide for Sahiyo and StoryCenter’s Voices to End FGM/C program.  

How has your involvement with Sahiyo impacted your life?

My experience with Sahiyo has been invaluable. I am humbled by the compassionate and dedicated individuals I have had the opportunity to meet and work together with. Furthermore, I am grateful to the survivors of FGM/C, whom I've had the privilege to listen to and learn from as they shared their experiences and motivation to bring change to their communities. I am more than ever determined to be an ally in contributing to the revolution of gender and health equity. 

What words of wisdom would you like to share with others who may be interested in supporting Sahiyo and the movement against FGC?

Respecting culture and tradition is crucial when addressing the practice of FGM/C. It is important to understand that FGM/C is often perpetuated by cultural and societal attitudes and is deeply rooted in the beliefs and traditions of communities that practice it. As an outsider to the practice, a judgmental approach can alienate the very communities we hope to engage. It is essential to engage with communities in a respectful and culturally sensitive manner in order to work collaboratively and to create solutions that are sustainable and in line with their values and beliefs. By doing so, we can help to create lasting change and promote gender equality while respecting cultural diversity.

Sahiyo is excited to announce our first ever virtual silent auction to raise $15K in support of our work to end female genital cutting. The auction will open on International Women's Day, Wednesday, March 8th and close on Sunday, March 12th.

To kick-off our 5-day celebration of women's voices, we're hosting a virtual evening of comedy and entertainment in a live comedy show on Wednesday, March 8th at 5pm PST/ 8pm EST. Join us to support an important cause and an evening of entertainment, comedy, and more!

Featured comedians include Zahra Noorbakhsh, Marga Gomez, Pallavi Gunalan, and more!

Secure your tickets today: https://bit.ly/Sahiyo2023KickOff. 

If you’re interested in donating to our silent auction or becoming a sponsor, click HERE.

We appreciate your support and generosity. 

Sahiyo and the Connecticut Coalition to End FGM/C are so very pleased that Governor Ned Lamont issued an official proclamation, and Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz issued an official citation, both recognizing Feb 6th as Day of Zero Tolerance of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in the state of Connecticut.

Language for the Governor's proclamation can be found below:

Language for the Lieutenant Governor's citation can be found below:

February 6th is the International Day of Zero Tolerance of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting, a day designed to promote the elimination of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting by 2030 through efforts to engage whole communities and focus on human rights, gender equality and attention to the needs of women and girls who suffer from its consequences. The United Nations calls on the global community to reimagine a world that enables girls and women to have voice, choice, and control over their own lives.

Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting is the altering or injuring or removal of the female genitalia for non-medical reasons to control a girl’s sexuality and make her acceptable for marriage and to the community in which she lives. It is usually performed on young girls between the ages of birth and puberty. It is an extreme form of gender-based violence that is recognized as a human rights violation and a form of torture.

The Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity (CWCSEO) of the General Assembly along with the CT Coalition To End FGM/C (survivor-led coalition) are working on building holistic solutions to support survivors and prevent future generations of girls in the State of Connecticut from experiencing FGM/C. We are working with a diverse coalition of stakeholders, advocating for comprehensive legislation that will help 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.

"While the State of Connecticut has a robust community of advocates and people with lived experience working to end this form of gender-based violence, the state has been an outlier in its silence among its neighbors and in the nation. This comprehensive legislation would ensure that CT join our sister states in protecting children from
harm." Steven Hernández, Executive Director of the Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity.

"As a long time, Connecticut resident, I am heartened by Governor Lamont's proclamation about International Day of Zero Tolerance of FGM/C as it sends the message that a harmful cultural practice that people think only happens far away from here, is actually occurring in our state. This acknowledgement is the first step in eliminating this practice. I look forward to strong support of the bill to end FGM/C and protect parents and their daughters from the pressure to cut and be cut." Zehra Patwa, FGM/C Activist/Survivor and Co-founder of WeSpeakOut and member of the Coalition.

About the CWCSEO: The Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity under Sec. 105. Section 2-127 of the Connecticut General Statutes to focus on issues affecting each of the following underrepresented and underserved populations: Women, children and the family, elderly persons, African American, Asian Pacific Americans, and Latinos and Puerto Ricans. Focus its efforts and quality of life to the above-mentioned populations to assure that all are healthy, safe and achieve educational success; free from poverty; and free from discrimination. As a non-partisan arm of the General Assembly, the commission monitors, critiques and recommends changes to legislation. As a non-partisan arm of the General Assembly, the agency monitors, critiques and recommends changes to legislation. The commission serves as a liaison between government and its diverse constituents, and convenes stakeholders, including the business, non-profit and educational communities, local governments, and the media, to promote awareness.

View the official press release here.