My Story: A Liberian Survivor's Fight Against FGM

My Story: A Liberian Survivor's Fight Against FGM

I am a proud Liberian, born into a culture that, unfortunately, has practices that profoundly impact the lives of women. One such practice is female genital mutilation (FGM). In my country, if a female refuses to undergo this procedure, she faces exclusion from the community, and marriage becomes almost impossible.

I was only seven years old when I underwent this harrowing experience. There were eleven of us, sitting on a long bench, waiting to be called in one by one. I could hear my friends crying and screaming in fear, but I was powerless to do anything.

When it was my turn, I entered the room and saw my grandmother and two other elderly women. They covered my face and asked me to lie down. They removed my clothes and began to cut my private parts. The pain was excruciating, and I cried and cried, but no one came to my rescue.

After the cutting, we were placed in a room together, all of us crying from the unbearable pain. The worst part was that we were all cut with the same knife, and there was no medicine or treatment provided. I watched some of my friends die because they couldn’t handle the pain. Our hands and legs were tied together, and we were left there without any medical care.

As I grew older, I realized the severity of this practice and how it strips away our dignity and rights as women. I am now dedicated to fighting against FGM in my world. This practice has left me without the ability to enjoy intimacy, and I feel as though my rights as a woman were taken from me.

I hope you can understand the place I come from and the challenges we face. This is a practice that happens in many countries, but it is a weakness that must be stopped. Many potential female leaders have lost their lives due to this practice, and it continues to happen.