ABSTRACT
Voices to End FGM/C brings survivors and activists together to share and heal from female genital mutilation/cutting, grow as community leaders, and create short videos calling for an end to this harmful practice. For centuries, fearful of talking openly about FGM/C, at risk of being ostracized, labeled as victims, or jeopardizing relationships with implicated loved ones, the women and men contributing to Voices to End FGM/C reflect global communities and cultural contexts, unique personal stories, and enduring impacts of genital cutting on their lives. As a collection, the stories explore the physical and emotional consequences of the practice; policy and advocacy efforts toward criminalizing FGM/C; educational programs for prevention; and opportunities for health providers to support survivors. Communication research indicates that real people’s real stories can have greater reach and impact when they are shared widely both in local community settings and through social media (websites, Facebook, YouTube, etc.). Moreover, Sahiyo cofounder Priya Goswami has launched the Mumkin app, which uses AI to facilitate discussion of painful, embarrassing, or usually silenced issues, especially khatna in the Bohra community, but with wider application. Options offered by electronic media these days are many, and we have witnessed through our work on Voices how social norms can shift.
