She is an international lecturer on female genital mutilation (FGM) and speaker on gender rights. She is recognised as one of the key experts on this issue globally and is a leading and award-winning international campaigner against all forms of violence against women and girls. Leyla founded The Dahlia Project, the UK’s first specialist therapeutic service for FGM survivors. In 2020, she was elected as Rector of the University of St Andrews for a three-year term, making history as the first Black woman to hold the position. She currently works as the Global Advocacy Director of The Girl Generation.
I want to see more recognition of power dynamics to ensure that the focus is on centering the voices of women and girls. We cannot keep funding and investing in patriarchal systems where women and girls are left behind.