Female Genital Mutilation

FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION

" I was genitally mutilated at the age of ten. I was told by my late grandmother that they were taking me down to the river to perform a certain ceremony, and afterwards I would be given a lot of food to eat. As an innocent child, I was led like a sheep to be slaughtered.

Once I entered the secret bush, I was taken to a very room and undressed. I was then blind folded and stripped naked. I was forced to lie flat on my back by four strong women, two holding tight to each leg. Another women sat on my chest to prevent my upper body from moving. A piece of cloth was forced in my mouth to stop me from screaming.

When the operation began, I put up a big fight. The pain was terrible and unbearable. During the fight I was badly cut and lost blood.

English: The approximate prevalence of Female Geni...

Map of Africa

English: A campaign against female genital mutilat...

All those who took part in this operation were half drunk with alcohol. I was genitally mutilated with a blunt penknife.

After the operation, no one was allowed to aid me to walk. Each time I wanted to urinate, I was forced to stand upright. The urine would spread all over the wound and would cause fresh pain all over again. Sometimes I had to force myself not to urinate for fear of terrible pain. I was not given any anesthetic in the operation to reduce my pain, nor any antibiotics to fight against infection. Afterwards, I hemorrhaged and became anemic. I also suffered for a long time from acute vaginal infections." (Hannah Koroma, Sierra Leone)

Miller 2

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is the term used for removal of all or just part of the female genitalia. The age the procedure is carried out varies form...