Dr. Leyla Hussein is a psychotherapist, specializing in supporting survivors of sexual abuse. She is an international lecturer on female genital mutilation (FGM) and speaker on gender rights. She is recognized 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. Leyla’s passion is to create safe spaces for women and girls around the world. Most recently, she co-founded Safe Spaces for Black Women with her colleague Fatima Hagi to provide emotional support for Black women across the globe. 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 and Deputy Team Leader for the Africa-led Movement to End FGM.