Horror That Never Ends: Young Egyptian Woman Recounts FGM 'I’ll never forget the look of the razor blade she used with no anesthetic. I’ll never forget the sound of my own screams, either.'

The United Nations estimates that every year, three million girls are subjected to the horror of female genital mutilation (FGM).

The following is a personal account of female genital mutilation (FGM) from a young woman from Egypt. The account appeared on the Facebook page of an Egyptian organization, NGO Coalition against FGM.

UNICEF reports that over 90 percent of Egyptian women between the ages of 15 and 49 have undergone FGM.

My name is Umniya. At the end of the school year, during vacation, when I was nine years old my family spoke about circumcision. They arranged it as quickly as possible since, “The girl has grown up and her body is hot.”

“We will be happy if it can be completed before the end of the vacation,” they said.

They couldn’t find a doctor to do it, but our neighbor told my mother about an excellent midwife that cuts many girls. My family agreed and they brought a woman named Um Chamdi.

I’ll never forget the way she looked, her name or her voice -- it rings in my ears to this day. I’ll also never forget the look of the razor blade she used with no anesthetic. I’ll never forget the sound of my own screams, either.

The two of them held me down as if I were a sacrificial lamb. After it was finished, my body went limp, and I felt extreme pain and burning, and then I heard their conversation:

“Wow, Um Chamdi, she’s bleeding a lot.”

“That happens many times. Give her a good meal.”

They continued talking between them. I was petrified and screaming but no one listened to me.

A day I’ve never forgotten and will never forget. Every drop of blood and a powerful burning sensation when urinating for a long time.

I experienced never ending infections. Due to the incessant infections, my mother took me to the doctor.

“Your daughter was cut.”

“Yes that’s our regular cutting.”

“I want to tell you that your daughter’s clitoris did not need to be cut. Whoever did that is a donkey. He completely removed it. Is she bleeding?”

“Yes, a lot.”

“Unfortunately, I cannot help your daughter. I will give you creams for the infections each time she has them. The infections will be chronic.”

Emotionally, I was in a terrible state with the thought that I was different. Each time the infections would recur I wouldn’t be able to move much, and I had a lot of pain that would radiate to my inner parts.

I felt embarrassed about the topic around the rest of family and especially the boys.

As I matured and my friends talked about love and their feelings, I didn’t have those feelings. I was afraid that marriage would bring back my trauma, and that I would start bleeding again. Whenever someone talks about cutting, the memories of my cutting come back to me.

I read on the internet that if a husband sees that that he’s not able to bring pleasure to his wife, or that she’s too quiet that he loses interest. I am afraid of getting into an unsuccessful marriage, and for me it will be the easiest and most comfortable not to get into any romantic relationship at all.

The following video explains the life-long effects of FGM (Warning: Disturbing Content)

http://www.clarionproject.org/news/horror-never-ends-young-egyptian-woman-recounts-fgm