What happens when you leave the TEDx stage? What impact can a talk have in the “real” world? That’s what we wanted to find out from Payzee Mahmod, a former TEDxLondonWomen speaker and campaigner trying to end child marriage. After sharing her and her sister, Banaz’s, experience of child marriage in her first talk, Payzee spoke to writer, model and editor Jamie Windust about her experiences since. She tells us about the exciting global impact sharing her story has had and how it has supported her campaign with the Minimum Age Bill now going through the UK’s Houses of Parliament. Payzee reminds us, there is still much to do, in order to protect children from child marriage, but the good news is that you can make a difference. Whether signing a petition, sharing her TEDx talk, writing to your MP or sharing your own story, Payzee invites you to join the growing movement to end child marriage and protect children’s futures. Payzee Mahmod is a British Kurd who campaigns with IKWRO to raise awareness and eradicate harmful practices, such as FGM and child marriage, as a result of her own and her sister’s lived experiences. Payzee’s message has reached international audiences and she spoken widely on the need for changes to the laws surrounding child marriage and “honour” based abuse. In 2020 Payzee was nominated for a special recognition award at the UN Women UK Awards.
Jamie Windust is an author, presenter, model and contributing editor at Gay Times. Their work shares LGBTQ+ stories in honest, innovative and unique ways. Jamie published their debut book In Their Shoes in 2020. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
