Welcome to going mental. This is your host, I'm Eileen Kelly. I'm interested in the things many of us face but don't always talk about.

On the show, not only will I be sharing more about my own anxietyieties and depression, but I'm also going to be talking to a wide range of guests about their own mental health journeys.

Along with professionals, we're going to help educate you and me on the ins and outs of mental illness.

Can't wait for you to hear what's in store.

On today's episode, I'm joined by Shamsa Ara Willow. She grew up in Somalia, where when she was only six years old, she became a victim of female genital mutilation or FGM.

FGM refers to all procedures involving partial or total removal of the female external

genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical

reasons. It is often carried out on young girls between infancy and age 15

as a way to suppress sexuality and ensure virginity.

According to the United Nations, an estimated 200 million women and girls worldwide

have undergone some form of FGM.

Chumson now lives in the United Kingdom

and raises awareness for other victims of FGM.

Thank you so much for joining me. Can you please introduce yourself for my listeners?

Of course, my name is Isham Sarawello and not only am I a survivor of female genital mutilation, but I have also managed to survive other forms of honor-based abuse and I now use my voice for those that necessarily don't have a voice.

So I advocate for survivors to end the practice of female genital mutilation.

Thank you for that introduction.

Can you tell me a bit about your upbringing?

I'll let you just take it however you wish, but like where did you grow up?

I know you moved to the UK when you were seven.

Yes, so I grew up in Somalia, that was my first ever memory with a lot of cousins my grandma and my

auntie I grew up with 11 other siblings so there were 12 of us all together and I remember we used to all sleep on the floor on like a really long mattress but it wasn't a mattress, it was a lot of covers, I guess, just put on the floor for us.

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