FGM survivors fight back: ‘I wanted my clitoris back’

The women flouting tradition to get reconstructive surgery after female genital mutilation.

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Shamsa Sharawe has become infamous within the Somali community across the world for speaking out against female genital mutilation (FGM) . In a video to illustrate what happened to her vulva when she was aged six she cut off the petals of a rose with a razor blade and then stitched up what was left of the flower.

The TikTok post went viral - with nearly 12 million views since it was shared 16 months ago.

No Somali, even in the diaspora, talks openly about FGM - never mind the problems that can come with it like painful periods, the difficulty of urinating, the agony of having sex and the dangers and trauma of giving birth when one’s vulva (including the lips and clitoris) have been cut off and the vaginal opening has been narrowed to a tiny hole.

This form of FGM - known as infibulation or “type three” - is what happens to most girls in Somalia as it is a commonly held belief that the cutting off their outer genitalia will guarantee their virginity.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cyx0perl8yno

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