Policy Outreach, Education, and Advocacy
Since its founding in 2015, Sahiyo has supported policy work to address female genital cutting (FGC) at the global, national, state, and local levels. We recognize that in order to achieve wide-scale abandonment of FGC and support survivors, policies, and laws should be informed by and created in partnership with communities impacted by female genital cutting. View Program Overview Read 2015-2023 Impact Report Our advocacy work includes the following goals: 1 To educate frontline professionals, lawmakers, and constituents with the goal of creating state-level coalitions that are supportive of policy-level change to address FGC. 2 To uplift and include the voices of survivors in educating policy-makers 3 To increase civic engagement in policy processes and ensure that impacted communities have a voice in the policies that are created. Laws can act as mechanisms to shape a community or individual’s behavior. As FGC is often considered a social norm in practicing communities, laws against FGC may prevent the practice. Policies can thus serve as educational tools, deterrents, influencers for communal social behavior change, and prevention mechanisms. Global Level: The Global Platform for Action to End FGM/C, of which Sahiyo is a founding member, is a consortium of civil society organizations, champions, survivors, and grassroots representatives united in a singular mission: to advocate and support the abandonment and prevention of FGM/C. The coalition was formed in June 2019 when now members came together at the 2019 Women Deliver conference to develop a global Call to Action to end FGM/C.
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2023 Kigali Declaration launched at the Women Deliver Pre-Conference
Joint Press Release: ENDING FGM/C BY 2030: Uniting forces to make FGM/C a practice of the past
Op-Ed: A Global Platform to End FGM/C
Women Deliver 2019 PreConference on FGM/C Global Platform for Action to End FGM/C collaborate together to end FGC National Level: Sahiyo has supported advocacy at the national level in the U.S. and other countries, including India. We also make space for FGC-impacted communities to reflect on the political situations surrounding FGC laws and/or lack of laws in specific country contexts. Often, what is happening at the political level can feel out of one’s control, such as what occurred when the 1996 U.S. Federal Law on FGC was ruled unconstitutional. Building collective spaces that are safe to engage in these topics can provide community-wide healing for those impacted by FGC, and can also be vital to continuing civil advocacy on such topics.
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The United States has a law banning female genital cutting. What now?
Female Genital Cutting charges dismissed but our work continues: Global reactions to Michigan case news
Understanding the Supreme Court’s latest judgment mentioning female genital cutting in India
2016 U.S Summit Portraits from the “Faces of Defiance” exhibition State Level: Sahiyo has led state-level work, including building survivor and community-led coalitions in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Washington, to raise awareness and education on FGC and the need for comprehensive state-level policy. Sahiyo has also engaged in grassroots advocacy to encourage FGC-impacted communities and survivors to get involved in policy efforts; hosted educational events and roundtable gatherings; and educated policy-makers on how to build culturally sensitive policies that do more than criminalize. This can include provisions for civil remedies for survivors, as well as education and outreach opportunities for impacted communities and frontline professionals like healthcare providers who may come in contact with at-risk children and/or survivors.
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Washington State becomes 41st state to pass law against FGM/C
Reflecting on ‘Moving Connecticut Ahead: Protecting Girls from FGM/C’, a webinar
PRESS RELEASE: A Pioneering Roundtable to Address Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in Massachusetts
Working Together To Address FGC: Michigan Roundtable
Washington Coalition to End FGM/C members meet with Washington State Governor to sign FGM/C bill into law Members of the Massachusettes Coalition to End FGM/C support a resolution on FGM/C being introduced. Webinars Moving CT Ahead: Protecting Girls from Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting Protecting Children in Washington State from Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting Support our Policy Outreach, Education, and Advocacy Program