'My mother apologised': FGM survivor urges others to seek help
A Birmingham woman who underwent female genital mutilation as a child in Sudan is encouraging other survivors to seek help, as her story sheds light on how UK maternity services support affected women.
Sara Kahsai grew up in Sudan and moved to Birmingham in 2022 after marrying a local bus driver. Settling into her new life, she came to realise she was a survivor of female genital mutilation (FGM), a procedure endured as a young girl that caused significant pain and affected her relationship with her husband.
When Sara asked her mother, who still lives in Africa, why it had been done, her mother explained it was a cultural practice carried out on everyone and that Sara had been just a baby at the time. Her mother was reportedly very upset and apologised to her.
FGM involves the partial or total removal of female genitalia for non-medical reasons and is practised in parts of Africa, the Middle East and Asia, as well as within some migrant communities in the UK, where it is illegal and treated as child abuse.
Support during pregnancy
When Sara became pregnant, she disclosed her experience to health professionals for the first time and was referred to a specialist FGM clinic at Birmingham Women's Hospital. Midwife Renata Hanif, who handles around 200 cases a year, explained that some forms of FGM can affect vaginal delivery, so a procedure to separate fused tissue is offered during pregnancy. Survivors can also face difficulties with urination and menstruation, infections, ongoing pain and psychological trauma.
The charity Barnardo's set up the National FGM Centre in 2015 to help prevent the practice and support those affected. Roma Ullah from the centre said prevention is key, since prosecution only follows after harm has already occurred. Schools are required to teach pupils about FGM as part of relationships and sex education, though this is not mandatory in primary schools.
In April, the government held its first dedicated FGM summit in a decade, discussing measures including new guidelines to help identify girls at risk of being taken abroad for the procedure. Sara is urging other women in similar situations to seek help from their GP immediately, saying support is available in the UK and she wishes she had known sooner.
