‘We need to talk about this’

IFRAH AHMED can’t go back to her native Somalia because of the deadly wars ravaging the country but even if it was at peace, she would face a very personal battle in her homeland.

The 20-year-old from Mogadishu is an outspoken opponent of female genital mutilation, which an estimated 95-98% of girls in Somalia suffer before they reach the age of 15.

Ifrah has been through it twice, the first time when she was just eight years and the second at the age of 13. “Sometimes that happens — that a girl is circumcised twice. It’s because the wound doesn’t close properly or it’s not tidy.”

Once was too often. “I was in school one day as normal when I was eight and when I came back home, I had it done. My older sister had it done, but I didn’t know about it.

“They have to hide it and don’t say what will happen because they are afraid you will run away.”

After the ordeal, her legs were bound in the traditional way to begin the recovery process. It was 40 days before she could return to school but at least she did, and in good health. Many girls are not so lucky.

“It hurts so much to wee that you don’t want to but if you stop yourself, you can get very sick with kidney problems,” she explains.

Then there is the bleeding, the infections, the agony that can occur if the urethra is blocked and restricts urination and the horrendous consequences if the vaginal opening becomes too restricted for childbirth.

It was the pain and debilitation of her monthly periods that finally prompted Ifrah to speak out. She arrived in Ireland alone three years ago and was trying desperately to make a life for herself, but she had to miss out on school for a time every month.

“I met other girls from Somalia and they suffered too but they were embarrassed to say what happened to them. That’s why I am standing up to talk about this. We need to talk about this.”

Ifrah, who helps various voluntary and community groups working with immigrant communities, says she has seen some positive results since she started her campaign.

“When I speak to girls from Somalia here and ask them if they will have their daughters circumcised, they say no. At home in Somalia, they don’t think like that but we can change things if we start here.”