What is FGM (Silenced in the name of tradition)
Like any other day, she believed it was just an ordinary moment in her life. But the moment she was taken into a closed room, she sensed that something was terribly wrong. Fear crept in quietly, without explanation, without warning.
She looked toward her mother, her eyes silently pleading for help. In that moment, she realized that even her mother would not be there to protect her. The betrayal cut deeper than the fear itself. As she looked around at the faces that refused to acknowledge her pain, she understood something no child should ever have to learn that she would have to endure this alone.Her story is not rare. It is shared by countless girls across communities where tradition is placed above a child’s voice.
Many girls go through this practice at a very young age, when they do not even understand what is happening to them or why it is being done. It is forced upon them without their consent, before they are old enough to question it, to resist it, or even to speak about it.Even when they grow older and finally understand the truth of what was taken from them, many still find themselves trapped in silence – bound by fear, family pressure, and a society that protects customs more than it protects children.
How many girls are taught to accept pain before they are taught that they have a choice?
This is not just one story. It is the reality of millions of girls whose suffering is hidden behind silence, obedience, and the belief that harm must be endured in the name of tradition.Globally, more than 230 million girls and women alive today have been subjected to harmful practices like female genital mutilation (FGM), mostly carried out on young girls from infancy to adolescence.
This figure spans many communities across Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Asia where the practice remains deeply rooted in social norms and tradition. Every year, around 4 million girls remain at risk of being subjected to FGM.Despite global efforts to end it, the practice continues in both rural and urban communities and even within diaspora communities around the world sustained by social pressure and deeply rooted beliefs about honor, purity, and tradition.
What Is Female Genital Mutilation?
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) refers to procedures that intentionally alter, injure, or remove parts of the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.The procedures vary in severity. Some involve partial removal of external genital tissue, while others are more extreme, involving extensive cutting and stitching. These procedures are often performed in non-medical settings, without anesthesia, sterile equipment, or proper care. Even when done in clinical environments, the harm remains the same because the act itself is unnecessary and damaging. It is not a medical treatment. It does not cure disease.
It has no health benefit. It is often justified in the name of tradition, purity, honor, or social acceptance. In some communities, it is believed to prepare a girl for marriage or womanhood. In others, families fear social rejection if they refuse.
But behind these explanations lies a deeper issue: control over a girl’s body and her autonomy. The decision is usually made by adults around them, and the child’s consent is neither asked for nor considered.What we must clearly understand is that FGM brings no benefit to girls. There is no health advantage. No protection. No improvement to their future. Nothing It gives them nothing except pain.
What remains are lifelong scars not only on their bodies, but in their minds. Continuing such practices in the name of tradition, while knowingly causing suffering to young girls, cannot be justified. Culture should never demand a child’s pain as proof of belonging. And any tradition that survives by harming girls must be questioned, not protected.
Why Silence Keeps FGM Alive
In many places, girls are not given the freedom to speak openly or stand up for themselves. From a young age, they are taught that questioning traditions or expressing their own voice is wrong. When even normal conversations are restricted, speaking about their own bodies becomes unthinkable.Fear of challenging long-held beliefs, lack of family support, and social pressure force many to accept what happens to them in silence. Pain and trauma weaken resistance, while the knowledge that earlier generations endured the same suffering convinces many that acceptance is the only option. Silence, in this way, becomes a tool that protects harm.
Health Consequences of FGM
The effects of female genital mutilation extend far beyond the moment it is performed. For many survivors, the pain does not end that day; it becomes a part of daily life. Chronic pelvic pain, repeated urinary tract infections, cysts, and ongoing inflammation are common.For some girls and women, even urinating becomes difficult.When scar tissue forms or the vaginal opening is narrowed,It can take much longer to empty the bladder, increasing the risk of infections and causing burning sensations that return again and again. Something as basic as using the restroom can become a private struggle.
S**ual intimacy can also become extremely painful. Scar tissue reduces elasticity, and in more severe forms of FGM, the vaginal opening is stitched or significantly narrowed. This can make s**ual intercourse distressing, physically painful, and emotionally traumatic. Instead of being a consensual and natural experience, it may reopen both physical wounds and psychological scars.
Hope, Resistance, and Change
Despite the deep harm caused by FGM, change is possible. Survivors are beginning to speak, breaking years of silence and transforming personal pain into collective awareness. Each voice raised challenges the belief that suffering must be accepted.Education plays a crucial role in this change. When communities understand the real consequences of FGM, harmful practices begin to lose their power. Resistance is not always loud it can be a mother choosing a different future for her daughter, a survivor sharing her story, or a community questioning a tradition for the first time. With awareness, courage, and compassion, future generations of girls can grow up with dignity, safety, and choice.
What We Can Do
Female genital mutilation is not just a cultural issue it is a human issue. Behind every story is a child who was never given a choice and a woman who carries the consequences in silence.Breaking that silence is the first step toward change. When empathy replaces fear and awareness replaces ignorance, harmful practices lose their hold. If even one girl is protected, one voice is heard, or one cycle is broken, then speaking out matters.Silence has lasted long enough. It is time to choose compassion, courage, and change.
Conclusion:
Ending female genital mutilation begins with refusing to stay silent. Open conversations, survivor centered listening, and responsible awareness can break the cycle that allows this practice to continue.Supporting education and advocacy efforts helps communities move toward safer traditions. Every girl deserves the right to her body, her voice, and her future.
Author’s Note:
This blog is written to raise awareness about female genital mutilation and to honor the experiences of survivors. It does not intend to target or blame any specific culture, religion, or community. The focus is on empathy, education, and the protection of girls’ rights and dignity.
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