Genital mutilation

We went to see our family in the home village. Holiday, I thought, but when we arrived they told me I was going to have an operation. The day before, a girl died during her “operation”. I was so scared. I fought, and tried to scream, but one woman held my mouth.

Another held my upper body, and two women held my legs. And one woman performed the “operation”. It hurt so much. And it has never completely stopped hurting. I guess I was lucky, in one way.

I didn’t die, like that other girl. But I will never forget the pain. They cut my genitals with a razor. I was eight years old. What Senaït was subject to, that someone deliberately cut her genitals, is called genital mutilation.

It is usually performed without any anaesthesia to ease the pain. Usually the victim is a child. Genital mutilation can be done in several different ways. One way, like in Senaït’s case, is to cut off parts of the outer genitals, like the labia and a part of the clitoris. Another way is to reduce the vaginal opening with needle and thread.

There are other, equally cruel methods. But why do parents expose their children to something that is this painful? In the community where Senaït grew up, it is forbidden for women and girls to have sex before they are married. An unmarried woman having sex is said to bring disgrace on herself and her whole family. So to prevent disgrace, her family tries to put a limit on her sex drive, even before she is likely to have any sexual feelings, while she is still a child.

They cut off parts of her pleasure-sensing organs, like the clitoral glans. The purpose of genital mutilation, which is sometimes called female circumcision, is to reduce a girl’s interest in sex, in order to avoid disgrace for the family. It happens in cultures where the family’s honour is considered more important than a girl’s right to her own body, and more important than her right to develop her sexuality in the future. The opinion against genital mutilation is increasing even in countries where it’s still common. But because of social pressure in the community, many people still carry on this abuse, even though they are quietly against it.

A genital mutilation is terribly painful, and there is a risk that the girl will bleed to death, or succumb to life threatening infection. Also in the long run it has serious consequences, that vary from woman to woman. Some common problems are: It can be difficult and painful to pee. There can be a constant ache in the genitals. Menstrual pain might be worse if blood is prevented from leaving the vagina.

Pregnant women can have problems giving birth. Sometimes it’s even life threatening. And it can result in psychological problems. Senaït thought her parents would always protect her from everything, but they let her down. Ever since, Senaït has found it difficult to trust other people, and the memory of the pain has tormented her all her life.

Genital mutilation is committed to girls and women in several parts of the World. It is most common in cultures that originate in the middle East and parts of Africa, but it has sometimes spread to other parts of the World as people migrate. In Somalia, as many as 98 percent of the women are mutilated. In the UN declaration of human rights, it states that: Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person. No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

So, genital mutilation is a violation of a girl’s human rights. When I was fifteen I came back to the village. Some girls were about to get cut. I told their parents about my pain, and about how I couldn’t trust my parents afterwards. They decided not to mutilate their daughters.