The Cruel Cut: Female Genital Mutilation

Aletse López  | 09 de noviembre de 2018  | Vistas: 383

At the age of 7, Leyla Hussein was a victim of FGM, Female Genital Mutilation, which is when the female genitalia is partially cut or totally removed and the remaining skin is sown together. In her participation in the College Freedom Forum 2018, she shares her horrible experience, some statistics, her awakening and the movement she has created to bring attention to this topic.

200 million girls and women from all over the world are at risk each year from undergo FGM, Hussein says. She herself became aware of the topic after her first pregnancy, where Jennifer Bourne, a nurse, explained her that the reason she was passing out every time she was examined was because her body still remembers the trauma.

By the time this forum is actually finished 4,000 girls will undergo FGM. We are not talking about small numbers”.

Her principal work as a psychotherapist is to create safe spaces for survivors of FGM. The Dahlia Project, a health advocacy project, is a counseling service where women realize that their experience is an abuse.  

FGM is not a cultural practice. FGM is fundamental to control women’s sexuality, to oppress women… It’s a process of grooming, that itself is another form of abuse”.

FGM is a global issue. It happens in the US, Russia, Colombia, and Africa. Young people play a great role in this, she says, women must stand up and speak up. She introduces some of her fellow sisters that fight with her on a daily basis: Meron Estefanos, Deeyah Khan, Mona Eltahawy, Zineb El Rhazoui.

The reason I do this work it’s because of my daughter. I want a world where every single girl can be free and safe. “

Don’t miss Leyla Hussein’s story and share this video to draw attention to FGM.