My name is Leyla Hussein, and I am a Somali-born psychotherapist, counsellor and activist specialising in supporting survivors of sexual abuse. I am also an internationally renowned speaker and policy advisor on gender rights and mental health, recognised as one of the world’s leading experts on female genital mutilation (FGM) and a dedicated campaigner for the human rights and safety of women and children globally.

As a writer, I have published in national and international media and appear regularly in both print and broadcast media. My byline has appeared on major platforms including CNN, The Guardian, Huffington Post, Global Citizen and Cosmopolitan Magazine, and my influential work has been featured in The Times, Financial Times, Washington Post, BBC, ITV, CNN, NPR and LBC, among others.

As a survivor of FGM, I have channelled my desire to ensure my daughter’s physical safety into campaigning for the protection of girls from all forms of harm; through various campaigns and a variety of projects, including The Dahlia Project, the UK’s first specialist treatment service for survivors of FGM.

In 2019, I was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to tackling FGM and gender inequality. A year later, I was elected as the first black woman Chancellor of the University of St Andrews and subsequently started the Make It Make Sense podcast to document the experience and provoke uncomfortable but important conversations about salient issues in higher education.

I am currently the Global Advocacy Director for The Girl Generation: Movement To FGM’s Africa-led programme working in ten African countries with the aim of ending FGM in a generation. I was also nominated for a BAFTA in 2024 for my role in the groundbreaking documentary The Cruel Cut, which helped influence changes in British law on female genital mutilation.

My extensive experience and empathy uniquely positions me to explore the challenges faced by immigrant communities in the UK through narrative.