Female genital mutilation being performed in Canada: Report

Editor’s note: This article contains details some readers may find distressing

It’s often a sensitive and stigmatizing reality, but a new report shines a light on the realities of female genital mutilation here in Canada.

“It was a moment of shock when we ended up at the hospital. And I started hearing kids crying,” explained Saran Bah, who was only 5-years-old when she experienced female genital mutilation in her home country Guinea.

“We were told we were going to get photos and then get ice cream and those are the things we liked so we hopped in the car and we went.”

Bah, who currently lives in Canada, recalls the trauma she had to endure after realizing she was lied to. Being forced into doing something she did not want.

“They put on me a table and I started resisting because I didn’t want that to be done to me. It took four adults to hold me for the doctor to be able to do what she had to do… the pain is something you cannot really describe,” she explained.

According to the World Health Organization, female genital mutilation or cutting is a procedure that intentionally alters or injures female genital organs for non-medical reasons. While it’s punishable under Canadian criminal law, Statistics Canada estimates between 95,000 to 161,000 women and girls living in Canada are either survivors or at risk of female genital mutilation.

“There are instances where FGM/C is being performed in Canada. There are reports of vacation cutting as well, but the people we spoke with either they were cut before they came to Canada or they had it done in Canada,” said Reyhana Patel, with Islamic Relief Canada.

Alisa Tukkimaki, with End FGM Canada Network, added, “We’re dealing with a lot of mental health, recurring trauma, but there’s also a lot of physical implications as well. It can go from anything, from birthing complications to constant bladder infections to all sorts of discomfort.”

A new report by Islamic Relief Canada shows 48 per cent of 33 women surveyed experienced female genital mutilation in Canada. Patel is highlighting the gaps in the Canadian healthcare system to support survivors like Bah.

“There’s not enough information provided to midwives, provided to just general health care support workers on what fgm/c is exactly. There’s one interviewee told us that when she went to a routine checkup, the doctor was just like what happened to you? And for that survivor, it just brought back so much trauma,” said Patel.

And that’s why Bah became an advocate for survivors. Last year, she represented her country at Miss Universe, sharing her experience to spread awareness despite the stigma surrounding the topic.

“The trauma for me.. A part of it has left because I’m not ashamed of who I am; this is something that happened to me, but it doesn’t define who I am as a person. But at the same time, another part of me is having a hard time forgiving that this has happened to me and I had no say in it,” Bah explained.

“Not only physical and also mental, because you are brainwashed into thinking that it’s a good thing for you and for society and for the longest time a big part of me believed that too.”