Ep88: Payzee Mahmod on finding her purpose, child marriage & loss

This week on the show, I’m speaking to activist and all-round incredible human being, Payzee Mahmod. I learned of the amazing work Payzee is doing, and her story after learning about the devastating brutal killing of Payzee’s older sister, Banaz Mahmod in a so-called “honour-killing” in 2006.  Banaz was a young woman with a huge appetite for life, laughter and kindness, and her death had far-reaching and long-lasting impacts for all those who knew and loved her, and also for the world at large. 

Payzee Mahmod is a survivor and activist tackling gender based violence. As a British Kurd with lived experience, she is a passionate advocate and campaigner raising awareness about harmful practices including child marriage, female genital mutilation, virginity testing and hymenoplasty.

After being forced into a child marriage aged 16, Payzee lead the 3 year long campaign to change the legal age of marriage from 16 to 18, in England and Wales (Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Bill, 2023).

Payzee now uses her platform to spread awareness on “honour” based abuse, child marriage and promoting the importance of gender inclusion and raising money for good causes.

Just a little trigger warning, in this episode, we talk about some difficult topics including loss of a sibling, abusive relationships and FGM. There is also mention of suicide. So if you need to return to this episode at a later date, or skip it altogether, please do.