The CT Coalition to End FGM/C is a member of the U.S. End FGM/C Network. We are a survivor-led coalition working to ensure that the State of Connecticut joins with 41 other states – including its neighboring states of New York, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts – to end female genital mutilation and cutting.
MARIYA TAHER is a writer and a social worker who has been working on issues of gender-based violence for over a decade, from domestic violence to female genital mutilation/cutting. She is a co-founder of Sahiyo, an organization dedicated to working with communities to end FGM/C, and sits on the steering committee of the US End FGM/C Network. Mariya was born in the United States and lives in Massachusetts, and at the age of seven, she was subjected to female genital mutilation/cutting. Due to her experience and because she has friends and relatives who have also undergone FGM/C, both here in the United States and elsewhere in the world, for over five years, Mariya has worked with the Massachusetts Women’s Bar Association to pass legislation protecting girls in her home state from having to undergo this harm too. The Massachusetts bill finally became law in August 2020. Now, she wants to ensure that all states, particularly her neighboring state of Connecticut, have holistic laws that include community education, outreach, and outlawing FGM/C so that ALL girls are safe from FGM/C.
ABSA SAMBA is a survivor and an activist against FGM/C. Over the last 5 years, she has worked with organizations in The Gambia (her native country), including Think Young Women, Young People in the Media and Forum for African Women Educationalist – The Gambia, educating communities and creating awareness on the effects of harmful cultural practices that hinder the development of women and girls – including female genital mutilation – through personal story sharing and dramas. Absa has expanded this advocacy work to the United States, where she has presented at various forums and classrooms at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont, educating and demanding the state pass a law to end the practice of FGM. In January 2020, she testified for the Vermont Senate Health and Welfare Committee on a bill illegalizing the practice of FGM in the state. As a survivor, Absa aspires to see a world free of female genital mutilation so girls like herself can grow to their full potential.
ZEHRA PATWA works in Digital Customer Delivery for the Knights of Columbus in New Haven, Connecticut and is the Co- Founder of WeSpeakOut, an organization that strives to work for equal rights for Bohra women in all spheres of life, specifically, on Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) or khafz. As a long-time resident of Connecticut and survivor of FGM/C, Zehra is working to eliminate FGM/C to ensure that our state is a safe haven from the practice of FGM/C, not a destination for it. With an estimated 2,500 at risk girls in Connecticut, the risk is real and we need to ensure their safety.
SIMENESH COMOLLO earned her bachelor’s degree from Central Connecticut State University and is pursuing her master’s in social work at University of Kentucky. Simenesh grow up in Ethiopia and came to the U.S at age of thirteen. Her passion is to help people of underprivileged communities and for individuals who, on their own, are unable to advocate for themselves. She was inspired to empower and advocate for those who lack a voice after growing up and seeing girls and women endure numerous hardships and violence. As victim and survivor of FGM, she wants to end the practice that infringes on the rights of young girls and causes them to deal with inner trauma. Her passion is to continue to empower women, eventually working toward becoming a women’s rights activist.
JOETTE KATZ Former Connecticut Supreme Court Associate Justice Joette Katz is now a partner in the Business Litigation practice at Shipman & Goodwin. Immediately prior to joining Shipman, Justice Katz served as Commissioner of the Connecticut State Department of Children and Families for eight years. As Commissioner of the State Department of Children and Families, Justice Katz was responsible for children in the Department’s custody and under its guardianship, as well as for overseeing the Department’s service delivery statewide, and for providing legal advice on a regular basis for the Department’s litigation matters at trial and on appeal. During Joette’s nearly two decades of service on the Connecticut Supreme Court, she heard some 2,500 cases and authored nearly 500 opinions. Joette was involved at nearly every level in the fight against sex trafficking, working with the legislature to enact Connecticut’s Trafficking of Minor Children Law, and working tirelessly to educate, train and create public service flyers to raise awareness in the state, to enforce accountability on individuals and organizations alike by bringing criminal prosecutions against perpetrators, and to provide resources for the victims and educate the public. Her experience in the judicial and executive branches of state government as well as her strong commitment to human rights and child advocacy issues are truly remarkable, and Joette has always used her expertise and her strong voice in the legal field to advocate for an end to abuse of any kind, including FGM/C.
MELVETTE HILL is the Executive Director for the Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity (CWCSEO). The CWCSEO researches best practices, coordinates stakeholders, and promotes public policies in the best interest of Connecticut’s under-resourced, underserved, and underrepresented women, children, and older adults. She is committed to ending FGM/C as part of her work to ensure women’s and girls’ wellness throughout their lifespan and to promote the physical, social, and emotional well-being of children throughout the state.
JO KEOGH is a Licensed Professional Counseling Associate and specializes in treating women with PTSD resulting from FGM/C, child sexual abuse, sexual assault, and rape. She has been working with female survivors of sexual, physical, and emotional trauma since 2014 and is passionate about protecting women and girls from all forms of abuse. Jo works as a mediator and investigator for the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights & Opportunities (CHRO), is a founding member of the Guilford Human Rights Commission, is a member of the US End FMG/C Network, and is an advisory board member at Sahiyo, an organization committed to ending FGM/C. Jo wants to ensure that all of Connecticut’s girls can emerge into adulthood with their bodies, spirits, and sexuality intact, so that they may take advantage of every opportunity available to them as adults.
CAITLIN LEMAY, LCSW is currently the Director of the U.S. End FGM/C Network. An innovative systems change leader and experiential facilitator, Caitlin brings extensive experience in strategically designing, implementing, and evaluating programs that expand the capacity of non-profits to deliver community-centered programming. Caitlin has been working in the gender- based violence movement for over a decade. Caitlin’s experience has included providing direct service counseling to survivors of trauma, though her true passion remains in gender-based violence prevention. She enjoys thinking creatively on ways to engage communities in prevention work and identifying out-of-the-box strategies to broaden the conversation on gender-based violence prevention. Through this reputation, she has become a nationally-recognized expert on gender-based prevention and systems change. As a Licensed Certified Social Worker (LCSW), she is uniquely able to bridge the gap between direct clinical services and bigger-picture systems change, always centering the voices of those most impacted by violence.
MARTINE DHERTE is the Program Manager for refugee services at the Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants. She uses her platform to educate newly arrived refugees resettled by her organization in Bridgeport. She would like her programs, which currently includes GBV services to address FGM and become a stronger advocate in the field. She is passionate about protecting women and girls from all forms of abuse.
KRYSTAL RICH is the Executive Director of the Connecticut Children’s Alliance (CCA), a statewide membership organization founded to provide support to CT’s 9 Child Advocacy Centers (CACs) and 17 Multidisciplinary Teams (MDTs) across Connecticut through education, training and resources. CCA’s mission is to avail comprehensive state-wide services to all child victims and their families through collaboration, systemic change, public awareness, and legislative advocacy while working to prevent child abuse from occurring. CCA is also the umbrella agency for the newly formed Prevent Child Abuse Connecticut Chapter (PCACT), a program developed in collaboration with the Office of Early Childhood. PCACT’s focus is to ensure the growth and sustainability of primary prevention programming, public awareness, education, and legislative advocacy with the goal of ending the epidemic of child abuse. In addition, Krystal is a tri-chair for CT’s Human Anti-Trafficking Response Team out of the Department for Children and Families as well as a member of several statewide committees dedicated to supporting child victims of abuse. Krystal holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Central Connecticut State University and a Master of Social Work with a focus on Policy from the University of Connecticut School of Social Work.
ANASTASIA LAW is Equality Now’s Program Officer for North America, after joining Equality Now as a Legal Fellow in 2023. In her role, she focuses on the implementation of international human rights standards in North America to bring about gender equality through the law and counter gender-based violence and discrimination. Anastasia is an international human rights lawyer with a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from New York University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Biology from the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining Equality Now, Anastasia gained experience advocating for the legal rights of women and girls through national and international mechanisms in positions with the Universal Rights Group, the Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust, and Public Health Management Corporation. Originally from London, England, Anastasia is currently based in New York City.
KELLY VAUGHAN is the founder of Global Girls Worldwide Women, a social justice platform that provides resources and advocates for the safety of girls and women. Informed as an ethicist and fueled by a passion for human rights, equity, and justice, she is committed to working for the safety and opportunity for girls and women to pursue their aspirations unencumbered by violence and inequity. As a writer she brings a strong voice and evidence to advocacy and policy reform. FGM/C is one of the primary issues GGWW addresses.
CAROLINE SENNETT is the Director of Immigration Legal Services for the Connecticut Institute for Refugees & Immigrants, which provides leadership, compassionate service, and effective advocacy for vulnerable populations, including immigrants, refugees, and survivors of human trafficking and torture. She is passionate about addressing and ending human rights abuses and gender-based violence.
SANA SARR has been a CT resident since 2001. Sana understands the impact of FGM very well, observing, “I was born and raised in The Gambia, West Africa, where FGM is a common practice and majority of the girls and women in my family have been through it. I have many family members and friends and know the physical and mental struggles they continue to suffer well into adulthood, including difficulty with sexual relations and during childbirth.”
DEBORAH BENSON is an advocate for gender equality. A retired Boston attorney, who also has a home in Litchfield County, Deborah is a Massachusetts Access to Justice Fellow who led the effort on behalf of the Women’s Bar Association to pass the legislation to address FGM in the Commonwealth. After unanimous votes in both the House and the Senate, H4606 was signed by Governor Baker on August 6, 2020 making MA the 39th state in the nation to enact laws prohibiting FGM. FGM is a cultural norm that legitimizes and reinforces harmful attitudes about women and girls and their place in society and inhibits a girl’s right of self-determination over her reproductive and sexual health. Deborah is committed to passing this legislation as a step towards elimination of gender inequality.
DARCY STRAND is the Legislative and Administrative Advisor and an attorney with the State of Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (“CHRO”). The CHRO is Connecticut’s state agency charged with enforcing the state’s antidiscrimination laws in the areas of employment, housing, public accommodation and credit transactions. As the agency’s Legislative and Administrative Advisor, Ms. Strand represents the CHRO in its interactions with the Connecticut General Assembly, the executive branch, and community stakeholders. She also works with the CHRO’s leadership and legal department to develop the agency’s policies, then works with the legislature to pass that legislative agenda into statute.
FAITH VOS WINKEL began her work with the Office of the Child Advocate July 2001 and assists the Child Advocate to fulfill her statutory mandates including overseeing the systems of care and protection for children in Connecticut and advocating for their well-being. Faith’s primary responsibilities focus on the review of all unexpected and unexplained child deaths in Connecticut. She is responsible for preparing child fatality cases and conducting comprehensive investigations. Faith represents the Child Advocate on a variety of statewide policy committees including the Suicide Advisory Board, CT Coalition Against Domestic Violence Fatality Review Committee, and the Governor’s Task Force on Justice for Abused Children. Ms. Vos Winkel has an undergraduate degree from the University of Connecticut and a Masters of Social Work from the University Of Connecticut.
LESLEY KOONS serves as the research coordinator at IRIS (Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services) in New Haven, Connecticut, having joined the organization in 2012 as health & wellness coordinator. She collaborates with clients, medical providers, researchers, and other stakeholders to ensure quality, culturally relevant care, healthcare system navigation, health literacy education, and equitable decolonized research partnerships. Leslie represents IRIS as the Connecticut partner in the African Immigrant Health Research Collaborative (AIHRC) and is dedicated to advancing IRIS’s mission of strengthening hope in Connecticut’s newest community member.
FATOU IBRAHIM DARBOU is a legal professional and human rights advocate with a strong passion for ending female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and gender-based violence. She holds a Master’s degree in Human Rights and Social Justice from the University of Connecticut School of Law and has experience working in asylum, immigration law, and humanrights advocacy. Originally from The Gambia, Fatou practiced law for four years before relocating to the U.S. As an FGM survivor, she is committed to raising awareness, supporting affected individuals, and advocating for legal protections against harmful practices.
KAITLIN MITCHELL is a knowledgeable and passionate women’s rights advocate with a strong background in public health. Her work centers on advancing the rights of women and adolescent girls, with a focus on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and gender-based violence. With over eight years of experience, she has worked at state, national, and global levels within UN agencies, non-profit organizations, research institutes, and healthcare settings. She collaborates effectively with diverse stakeholders including policymakers, academics, donors, healthcare providers, and grassroots activists, demonstrating her expertise in policy, advocacy, and communications. Prior to joining the Network, Kaitlin served as a consultant at UNAIDS, where she co-created and launched #BeTeamWomen, a global advocacy initiative dedicated to gender and racial equality. This initiative mobilized women activists and advocates to foster connections, converge agendas, and amplify actions across diverse sectors for greater accountability. Kaitlin firmly believes that healthcare is a human right, actively supporting Medicaid Expansion in her home state of North Carolina. She currently serves as a consultant for the WHO-UNFPA Learning by Sharing Portal (LSP), where she champions access to comprehensive SRHR as part of broader strategies and policies aimed at achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).