Feminist researcher and activist Dr Fatma Ibrahim has been presented with an Alumni of the Year Award by Glasgow Caledonian University for her pioneering work on gender-based violence (GBV) and sex education.
As founder of The Sex Talk Arabic, a digital platform delivering inclusive sex education in Arabic, and Jasadyat, a grassroots collective against GBV, Fatma advocates for decolonising sexual health education and creating safe spaces for millions of people.
During her time at GCU, she completed a postgraduate degree in Social Business and Microfinance before embarking on a PhD with the support of academic staff from the Yunus Centre of Social Business and Health.
A Magnusson Award in 2015 helped fund a trip to Egypt to visit women’s youth groups. The visit helped shape and inform the sexual health work she does today.
Fatma said: “It is a great honour and a real pleasure to receive this recognition.
“I want to take this opportunity to highlight the vital role universities can play in creating real change in the world. This happens when institutions choose to believe in people who may not neatly fit the criteria set by dominant structures, when they offer these people opportunities to achieve their potential, and when they actively challenge exclusionary systems that continue to make it difficult for so many to access the opportunities they deserve.
“Today, The Sex Talk Arabic educational material reaches millions of people every month. Its activities challenge dominant and harmful narratives around women’s bodies. It offers essential education on bodies, sex, and sexualities to thousands of women.
“I owe a large part of the person I am today and the ability to do this work in the way I do it to the education and opportunities I had at this university.
“I always say I was born in Egypt and made in Scotland… specifically at GCU.”