Sahiyo Communication Guide

3) Embrace Grey Areas
A person who has undergone khatna may have experienced pain and
sadness and/or nothing at all. She may want to keep it private and need
emotional connections with others. She may think FGC is wrong and still
believe it is a religious right. She may feel many other combinations of
emotions that could seem inconsistent at the outset. It is important to
recognise that multiple truths can live together simultaneously.
Issues around how khatna has happened and her feelings around it are not
always black and white, and to open the door to change and new insights,
we need to acknowledge and explore the grey areas. It is helpful to use a
‘both/and’ approach instead of an ‘either/or’ approach.
a) Change your perspective:
Sure, it may be easier if the whole world saw the issue in the same way
you do, but that’s not realistic. Conflict exists because we are human,
and because our different backgrounds, values, and beliefs mean that we
perceive the world and its issues in unique, diverse ways. Hold space for
universal human truths – such as our shared ability to be compassionate
and loving – and recognize some experiences as specific and particular,
such as the experience of some women going through physical and
psychological pain due to FGC while others state they did not experience
such consequences. The key is to show support and respect for all.
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