‘There is so much pain and shame’: Female genital mutilation survivor calls for end to the practice

A female genital mutilation (FGM) survivor calls for an end to the barbaric practice, which is still seen in many women each year in the UK alone, and it’s ‘not to blame’ that her mother took her to a clandestine clinic When I was nine years old. .

Basma Kamel, 30, is a student at London Metropolitan University and was the victim of female genital mutilation at the age of nine, after going on a ‘summer holiday’ with her mother during the school holidays while still living in Egypt before moving to the UK in 2019.

In the last seven years alone, NHS doctors have identified more than 30,000 cases of FGM, despite the fact that the practice has been illegal since 1985.

Ms Kamel, who wants to raise awareness of the issue so others don’t suffer the same consequences as she and the more than 30,000 affected women in the UK, said: “He told me we were going on summer holiday but he had arranged to make me this, encouraged by her friends and other mothers.

‘We went to a doctor in a special clinic where I had the procedure.

‘Honestly, I had no idea what was going on.

‘The doctor told me it’s just a small surgery and it wouldn’t be painful.’

But a week after undergoing the procedure, Basma was bleeding because the stitches were “open and needed to be cooled again.”

Ms Kamel said her mother never gave her a proper explanation as to why she had to undergo circumcision, but added: “She said this is something we all do for all girls, so every woman has to go through that”.

She said it’s good for my future when I get married.

“I didn’t really understand what the difference was when I was nine years old.”

She is no longer angry with her mother.

Ms Kamel said: ‘I understand she was unaware of the real consequences of FGM and she is also a survivor.

“I don’t blame her for doing this, because it’s something every woman in our culture does to her daughter.”

She still suffers the consequences of her female genital mutilation today.

“I’m experiencing PTSD and complicated intersex,” she said.

‘Before I came to the UK in 2019, I couldn’t have a sexual relationship.

“I finally got therapy here and it helped me understand myself and showed me that I can have a normal relationship.”

‘I always need to explain myself to a partner and I really need to take my time.

“Sometimes I can’t say that I am a survivor and that this has happened to me.

‘There is so much pain and shame. It takes a lot of energy to explain FGM to a person and it has really affected my mental health.

‘I’m accepting my body now, but I wasn’t before. I felt very angry and incomplete.

As a survivor of FGM, it’s very important for the 30-year-old to raise awareness, as the procedure is still performed today, despite being illegal in the UK since 1985 and punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

The new data from December revealed that for the first time last year, the number of newly identified FGM cases has fallen to no more than 700 over the four-month period, July to September, when the NHS collected the data.

Overall, the number of FGM cases identified by NHS workers has decreased since the start of data collection in 2015 with 6,000 cases to now, where the number of approximately 3,000 new cases identified per year has been consistent for the last three years.

“It’s prohibited, but it’s still being done,” Ms Kamel said.

‘I wish more people would complain about this and more advocacy work would be done in Africa.

‘I hope education is provided there and here in the UK for people and communities who believe in FGM.

‘There should also be more support for survivors.

‘I’m trying to encourage younger mothers now not to do this with their daughters.

“Many women think that it is normal, because they have never experienced anything different. I want you to understand.

‘People will only stop when they realize that this procedure has consequences, not only physical but also psychological.

“Hopefully soon this practice will stop everywhere.”

Ms Kamel added that she hopes that by sharing her story, she can do her part to end FGM in the UK and in her home country of Egypt.

FGM is carried out for a number of cultural, religious and social reasons, and some families and communities believe that FGM will benefit the girl in some way, such as preparing her for marriage or childbirth, according to the National Society for the Prevention of FGM. Cruelty against Women. Children (NSPCC).

Kam Thandi of the NSPCC said: “Female genital mutilation is a horrible form of child abuse that has no place in today’s society.

“Female genital mutilation can cause lasting physical and emotional scars, including severe pain and infertility, along with mental health issues such as depression, flashbacks, and self-harm.

“Children who experience it often do not know what is happening, so it is crucial that anyone who knows of someone who is at risk of FGM speaks up to ensure this dangerous practice ends once and for all.”