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# OITNB's Marie-Lou Nahhas Meets Survivors of Female Genital Mutilation
- URL: https://celebritykind.ghost.io/oitnb-actress-marie-lou-nahhas-meets-survivors-of-female-genital-mutilation-2/
- Published: 2019-10-21T10:39:25.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-30T04:10:36.000Z
- Author: Celebritykind
- Tags: Women and Girls, FGM, Marie-Lou Nahhas, OITNB, #Migrated-1790726633553, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-09-30 00:04

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/bb/cfbb8a7e-9a81-48ec-83e6-18e106bf4f7a/content/images/2026/09/unnamed-78.jpg)

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On the final season of hit Netflix series *Orange is the New Black,* we're introduced to Shani Abboud, an Egyptian woman who ends up in a detention facility in the U.S (and hooks up with Litchfield Penitentiary favourite Nicky Nichols).

Like many of the detainees, Shani's story is a heartbreaking one - escaping a possible honour killing and surviving female genital mutilation (FGM) at the age of 12\. Now, actress **Marie-Lou Nahhas** who so warmly brought Shani's character to life, is using her platform to highlight the realities of FGM around the world.

**Marie-Lou** has travelled to Africa this week with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

*"I'm in Ethiopia to learn more about UNFPA's ongoing work to #EndFGM"* she writes in [an Insta post](https://www.instagram.com/p/B32Y0utJC9m/?utm%5Fsource=ig%5Fweb%5Fcopy%5Flink), where some of the highest rates of FGM still occur, even though there are laws in place making it illegal.

*"As many of you know, on the final season of OITNB, I play the role of Shani, a survivor of female genital mutilation - a harmful practice that involves altering or injuring the female genitalia for non-medical reasons, and is internationally recognised as a human rights violation."*

[According to the World Health Organisation](https://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/fgm/prevalence/en/?ref=celebritykind.ghost.io), there are 200 million girls and women alive today who have undergone FGM in some form. And a further 3 million girls are at risk of undergoing FGM every single year.

**Marie-Lou** is spending time in Ethiopia's Afar region to meet three women who are part of a [UNFPA documentary](http://unfpa.org/APieceOfMe?ref=celebritykind.ghost.io) about abandoning the practice as a community.

The UNFPA's programs not only educate girls and women about the harm caused by FGM but also empower them to make the decision to say "no". To date, over [31 million people](https://www.unfpa.org/female-genital-mutilation?ref=celebritykind.ghost.io) in more than 15 countries have made public declarations to abandon FGM.

Responding to a fan who praised **Marie-Lou** for using her platform to highlight this important issue, she says *"the most rewarding thing in life is to be part of something eternal. And the way do (that) is to be human and not accept actions that dehumanise us."*