"I am living testament to the fact that any kind of FGM is the wrong type of FGM,” says Hoda Ali, a London nurse who underwent female genital mutilation in Somalia as a child. While the pain at the time of the procedure was lessened by anaesthetic, a lifetime of medical problems was just beginning for Hoda.

In 2016, 30 years after being cut in she has gone through an early menopause as a direct result. Hoda Ali has spoken to REAL WOMEN/REAL STORIES about the horror of going through type III FGM – her clitoris and labia were removed and the rest of her vagina stitched up leaving a hole the size of a matchstick. It was partially medicalized in that her parents could afford to buy sterile blades, syringes and anaesthetic and insist that the cutter use them on sevenyearold Hoda and her sixyearold sister.

The pain came later, four years later when Hoda could no longer sleep because of the growing agony deep in her stomach. At first doctors thought she had cyst but after she was rushed to hospital for a second scan they discovered the lump was the build up of menstrual blood that had nowhere else to go. There followed six years of pain, months in hospitals, numerous operations until they could operate no more, having her the internal build up of blood removed by a small vacuum inserted into her cervix and hearing the same words of comfort over and over again: "wait until your next cycle". It took six years for Hoda Ali to be able to have a natural period.

This is the sickening "trend" of FGM.

Carrying out female genital mutilation under the guise of healthcare is a worrying development and a severe crime against women. It is a form of violence against women and girls, and in the latter case it is child abuse. To date, there has been no legal case which has defined FGM as torture or as an international crime against humanity. A successful case or legal intervention can inspire victims and their community, demonstrating that justice can be obtained.

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