If you are reading this then you might be one of many to help stop this violent physical and psychological crime that girls of a section of Islam and a few others are facing. This is an article that I had read in a magazine. I thought it was just some rape story unti I saw the picture of little girls being pinned to tables and screaming in agony. This is the word for word story of the article that I am typeing right now with it layed out in front of me.
WARNING: This contains violent content and it made me cry.
"i was sexually violated in a dangerous ritual"
During my freashman year of college, I was flipping through one of my sociology books beofre class when I landed on a page about female genital mutilation, or FGM. It talked about how girls in some cultures have parts of their genitals cut off or sewn together; it's supposed to keep women'd sex drives low, so they'll stay loyal th their husbands (or prevent them from having sex altogether) And all at once, I flashed back to my chilhood and realized: I had been a victim of FGM.
I had a typical suburban American childhood-I was a Girl Scout and had friends of all races and religions-but I'm also part of a really small sect of Islam. There are only 1 million of us in the world, and we follow strict traditions to a tee. One of the customs is the khatna; it's when, at about age 6, a girl has a peice of her clitoris removed. (most Muslims dont practice FGM-its a cultural practice not a religious one.) When I was 6, I knew nothing about sex or why a khatna was a big deal; I just knew it was something other girls in my sect did, and that it would hurt.
My Khatna was done at the office of my pediatrican, who was in my sect. I was so scared, my mom had to pin me to the table. My legs were spread open as I felt the most excruciating agony-a shooting pain that went from my v****a to the top of my head. But I never questioned it; I moved on as if it were normal.
But when I put the pieces together at 19, it made me feel like I'd been raped back then-something had been taken from me without my consent. And even though I was a virgin, I became scared that I wouldn't be able to function sexually. I made my first appointment with a gynecologist, who confirmed my fear: Most of my clitoris had been removed. Here I was in college, where everyone was experimenting with sex or always talking about it, and all I could think was that no guy would ever want someone who was esxually handicapped like I am.
As distraught as I was, I decided to channel my energy into change. FGM is an accepted, deeply rooted tradition where my parents grew up in Africa (and in toher parts of the world), but in the US-where FGM is illegal and we know it's wrong-it has to end.
I can'ts report FGM to the police; that would just drive it underground and make it more unsafe. The best way to stop it is to educate my peers: If my generation refuses to do it to our daughters, and our daughters refuse to do it to theirs, FGM WILL die out.
People also need to know that girls who have undergone FGM aren't "weird"' they're vitctims of a violent physical and psychologiacal crime that people must talk about. The more people know about it, the less likely it will be practiced.
Each year 2 million girls around the world undergo FGM. MAKE IT STOP!!! See vday.org to find an event in your area that supports ening female genital mutilation and violence against women!
 xXx-Nuala-xXx · Sun May 18, 2008 @ 12:24am · 0 Comments |
