By Omotese Ibhade Oaikhena
Growing up, my mother had informed me of the Female Genital mutilation in my family which according to them is to preserve chastity, purification, enhance fertility and increase matrimonial opportunities. I did not have to bother about it because my father was alive and stood like a rock behind me but after his death, the story changed.
In my community, the target is the first girl, and it is seen as a ritual that must be performed before marriage. It has been a cultural practice passed down from generation to generation aimed at also ensuring that children born to the first girl stay alive. It is customary that before marriage, this practice is carried out and if one manages to escape it, she is required to do it at seven months of pregnancy to have a live child. Whether living in the country or outside the country the first female child must return to have this act carried out.
I became a victim of torture, a threat to life, and the practice after my father’s death. He was a cover before his death as I remember when my relatives come around to talk about the topic; he held his grounds and said I will not undergo such. Whenever I asked him about it, he always told me not to worry but little did I know that during his burial I will be forced to undergo this.
He died on the 7th of July and his burial ceremony was from the 7th to the 9th of November 2018.
On that fateful Sunday after the thanksgiving service at about 2 to 3 pm, I heard a knock on the door of the house we were kept for the mourning exercise. I was lying close to the door so, I got up to check who it was, and behold two heavy-looking guys were steering me in the face. I asked who they wanted to see, and they responded that I was the one. At this point, I got so scared and called out to my mom for help but before she could come to the door, they had taken me to the house where the practice is carried out. A mud house with one window was the only source of light to the room. While they took me to the room, I screamed, struggled to get off their grip but all my effort proved abortive. They laid me down on the floor and the woman in charge who is a relative came for the ritual. I was scared, a lot was running through my mind. Was I going to bleed to death, contract HIV or even die from the pain? As I struggled to hit the guy who held my hands above my head, he got really upset and used a blunt object to cut my right forearm. This I guess was to get me weakened and make me succumb. I also sustained severe injuries on my right hand from the constant dragging on the rough mud floor. The guy who held my legs flexed them stabbed me on the lateral side of my knee to get my leg in position. Oh! the pain was severe but now, I was praying, screaming, and begging to be freed. I knew that I could not undergo this. I had been taught in school about this and all the attendant complications. I thought I was going to die. While struggling, I could hear them say even if you are a doctor, we have a culture to uphold. All your cousins who are the first females ready to get married have all done this. At this point, I wondered what my fiancé will do or think of me after this whole issue. Will he still marry me? Well at this point, survival was it for me. As I struggled, I noticed a lot of blood flowing down my face from my right forearm and hand. My face was covered with so much blood from the several blunt injuries. Upon seeing the amount of blood, I was losing, the woman in charge advised that they call my younger sister to get me to the hospital. That was how I was let go to get treated and come back for a later date. I was so weak to imagine how I could go. I got treated in a private hospital and discharged home later because I refused to stay for fear of what had happened. Two days after, I left the area where I thought nobody will find me but later heard that they had told mum that they will have to carry the act out if I still want to get married. My fiancé was supportive but later called off the engagement when he was told that even if I escape it before marriage, I will have to do it at least 2 months before childbirth to ensure that my children are born alive.
It is based on this persecution and threats to life that made me run to the United States to study with the support of my mother. She encouraged me because she said she wanted me to be alive.
Type III female circumcision is what is done, and it involves the removal of the clitoris, the labia minora, and labia majora with the stitching of the vaginal orifice and a little opening left for the passage of menstrual flow. This can cause a great amount of pain, severe bleeding, and scarring of the affected area which will be problematic during childbirth. This practice has continued because the older women who had it done feel that if they survived then they can forget problems like HIV and other psychological issues that could arise.
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