Voices to End FGM/C: Enhancing survivor wellbeing, building a movement of advocates
Visit Voices to End FGM/C to watch stories and listen to their podcast to learn more about those who are telling them.
Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) continues to impact millions of girls and young women globally. The practice is an age-old cultural tradition shrouded in silence and maintained by adherence to social norms proclaiming its numerous benefits, but the reality is that it exacts a devastating toll on women's physical and emotional health—many survivors suffer from painful sex, chronic UTIs, childbirth complications, and depression. Long stereotyped as an “African problem,” FGM/C is now known to take place in countries across the globe. More and more survivors and allies are speaking out against this form of gender-based violence, even though doing so can put them at risk of being ostracized by their families and communities.
In 2018, Silence Speaks began a partnership with Sahiyo and convened a digital storytelling workshop with FGM/C survivors living in the United States. This initial pilot effort grew to include Asian Women’s Shelter and is now called Voices to End FGM/C. Through a trauma-informed digital storytelling workshop process, survivors and advocates connect with each other, share and heal from the impacts of FGM/C, and are further galvanized to take leadership to end the practice. Voices has now led nine workshops to support the stories of 70+ storytellers born in Canada, Chad, Ethiopia, the Gambia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Liberia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Tanzania, the U.K., the U.S., Zimbabwe, and more. Following the workshops, the storytellers prepare blog postings as a way of reflecting on what it means to share their stories publicly. Their powerful videos are circulated online and featured at trainings, conferences, and community events, to build support for global efforts to ensure future generations of girls are spared from being subjected to this harmful practice. View selected stories below and find the full collection on the Voices website.
Special thanks to Wallace Global Fund for their vision in funding Voices, and to Viiv Healthcare “End FGM Challenge,” the George Washington University School of Public Health, and the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime, for their additional support.