She remembers it all: How female relatives held her down when she was 11, legs spread and genitals exposed. The fear that stiffened her body. The stranger in black holding the scissors. And the pain. Like so many others, the 34-year-old Egyptian woman has lived with the psychological and physical repercussions of that day, when…
She remembers it all: How female relatives held her down when she was 11, legs spread and genitals exposed. The fear that stiffened her body. The stranger in black holding the scissors. And the pain.
A global target aims to eradicate the deeply entrenched practice of female genital cutting by 2030. Meanwhile, some women living with the consequences of a practice many activists call “mutilation” have been embarking on deeply personal journeys to heal. They search for answers, sometimes scouring the Internet, amid shame or secrecy that may surround the practice or possible related sexual complications. Prevalent in parts of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, cutting is performed in communities of different cultures and faiths. Medical interventions can range from the straightforward to the under-researched, expensive or not easily accessible. Some women find specialized treatment centers, but treatment gaps abound in many countries.