The 'husband stitch' is too often proposed by the male doctor as a ‘favor’ to the husband or the couple.

CT remains 1of 9 states without legal protection against female genital mutilation/cutting, 'which is internationally recognized as a human rights violation'

Efforts are underway around the world to ban female genital mutilation/cutting, and 41 U.S. states have laws on the books to address it.  But the efforts of survivors and activists—and I’m both—have been hamstrung by the current wave of conservative opposition to medical care for trans youth, yet another ugly consequence of the crackdown on rights for transgender Americans. As we try to make sure that girls who are at risk of FGM/C, or who are dealing with the consequences of it, have the prote

"It's just so different from my mom's expectations … I kind of feel like I'm disappointing her a little bit, you know?" - AfiqaMariya speaks with three Voices storytellers representing issues and communities not typically included in discussions of…

"When people bring it up, it's an opportunity to ground FGM/C within the world of violence against girls and women." - Arefa Voices storyteller Arefa Cassoobhoy introduces this detailed exploration of the 2017 legal case against a Bohra physician in…

"By the gestures, at the beginning, it seemed like a friendly conversation…" - JonathanVoices alumni Su and her husband Jonathan talk with Mariya about grappling with the realities of FGM/C in the Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community. Both Su and Mariya…

"Suddenly she was gone. Today, she was playing with us outside, and tomorrow, she was not there anymore." - Angela Angela Peabody, who shared a story in a Voices workshop in Washington, DC, speaks frankly about the experiences that led to her…

"My memory blocked it out, because it was so damn painful on so many different levels." - ShabanaMariya and Amy are joined by Voices storyteller Shabana Feroze, who speaks of her journey through the rage she felt when she learned she had been cut,…

"It took me a very long time to get to where I am now and talk about things as openly as I do." - MariyaMariya Taher and Amy Hill, the original co-founders of Voices to End FGM/C, interview each other, weaving a conversation about the value and risks…

As an American-born woman who grew up as a South Asian Dawoodi Bohra Muslim, I have been aware of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) my entire life. So I immediately agreed to give commentary on "From the War on Terror to the Moral Crusade

Advocate Mariya Taher speak to Amy to discuss female genital mutilation/cutting and share firsthand accounts from those impacted by this form of gender-based violence.

Expert Mariya Taher discusses female genital cutting; what it is, why it's done, how it affects women and how they can overcome it.

Sahiyo Stories brought together women from across the United States to create personalized digital stories narrating the experience of undergoing female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). FGM/C continues because people believe that if a girl does

For years I’ve worked to uplift the voices of survivors of gender violence. Yet, sometimes, in sharing survivor stories publicly, there can be backlash in the form of trying to dismiss or tear down a person’s experience. I share this story in hopes that it will lead to more advocacy initiatives that will prevent female genital cutting from happening to future generations of girls.

I have this memory of being in India when I was 15 years old, my hair dyed in auburn highlights, because as someone who had finished her freshman year in high school, I wanted to look cool, older …

I created a project called Sahiyo Stories in May 2018. This project involved bringing together nine women from across the United States to create personalized digital stories that narrated their experience of undergoing FGM/C and/or the experience of their advocacy work to end this form of gender-based violence.

They are still not listening to us. The bills and our stories sit on a desk, unheard, undiscussed and, worst of all, silenced.