FGM survivor refuses to let mutilation define her life - BBC News

Valerie Lolomari is determined to help other victims of FGM after spending years living in shame.

1 day agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Valerie LolomariImage caption, Valerie wants to share her story of female genital mutilation to encourage other victims to seek helpGrowing up in Nigeria, Valerie Lomari's grandmother was the only person who had ever shown her love.

Aged 16, she was taken by the elderly woman to another village, where she was mutilated without warning.

Now aged 52, Valerie still lives with the emotional and physical trauma from female genital mutilation (FGM) and is determined to eradicate it.

The mother-of-three helps FGM survivors in Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire and London.

Here, in her own words, she explains how she learned to forgive her grandmother and live without shame.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-68607169

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