Berkley Center

Maryum Saifee is a career diplomat. Prior to joining the U.S. Foreign Service, Saifee worked at the Ford Foundation and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Jordan. She also worked with South Asian survivors of domestic violence as an AmeriCorps volunteer in Seattle. Saifee is a graduate of Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and is a Council on Foreign Relations term member. She published her story as an female genital cutting (FGC) survivor in the Guardian and has spoken on Al Jazeera, CBC, and other media outlets. Saifee is contributing to the center's Berkley Forum blog in her personal capacity as a survivor of FGC, and the views expressed do not necessarily represent those of the United States government.