Women We Love | Shamsa Araweelo, Survivor And Activist Against Female Genital Mutilation
A Somali-British activist for female genital mutilation (FGM), a survivor of multiple forms of gender-based violence including FGM, mother, social entrepreneur, inspirational leader, and changemaker.
Shamsa was cut at age 6 and had to deal with physical and sexual abuse, as well as a forced marriage. As a result of undergoing FGM, Araweelo faced health problems including severe menstrual pain and cysts.
Drawing from her personal healthcare experiences, she advocates for better education and training of healthcare professionals in the UK about FGM. She also trains recruits for the Metropolitan Police on handling FGM cases with sensitivity.
She founded Garden of Peace to support FGM survivors and assist British citizens facing honor-based violence abroad. She advocates for renaming FGM to female genital cutting (FGC) to reduce stigma and encourage survivors to seek help.
In February 2023, Araweelo joined a grassroots FGM education and prevention campaign initiated by London Mayor Sadiq Khan. She has over 70 million TikTok followers, where she shares educational content on FGM, one of which went viral in April 2023. By November 2023, Araweelo was named to the BBC’s 100 Women list.
