Brides undergo genital mutilation ‘to be virgins’

Some women in Sudan are opting to undergo female genital mutilation (FGM) a month or two before their wedding to pretend to be virgins.

This is even though most of them have already been circumcised as girls – something that usually happens between the ages of four and 10 years old.

In the mainly Muslim country this can involve the removal of the clitoris and labia and often includes some stitching to narrow the vaginal opening- a process known as infibulation.

These stitches come away when a woman has sex.

If a bride-to-be opts for further FGM, the operation, usually carried out by midwives, can involve cutting away more of the labia and re-stitching the vagina.

‘Couldn’t walk for days’

“It was so painful and I had to go and stay with a friend of mine for days until I recovered because I didn’t want my mother to know,” said Maha, which is not her real name so that her identity can be protected.

“Urinating was an issue and I couldn’t walk properly in the first few days.”

Maha underwent the operation with two months to go to her wedding to a man “a little bit older” than herself.

“He will never have trust me if he discovers that I have had sex before our marriage,” she said.