'There Was Music And Dancing...Then They Gagged Me' - FGM Survivors Reveal Their Stories At Girl Summit 2014

'There Was Music And Dancing' - Survivors Tell Us The Brutal Truth About FGM
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Most of us have preconceptions about FGM (female genital mutilation) or we just don't really understand what it is. Girl Summit 2014, which is attended by David Cameron and Theresa May, is aiming to change that.

In this poignant video featuring FGM survivors, we find out from their point of view what it was like. You imagine FGM - where a young girl's clitoris is removed - to take place in a dark, shadowy room - but for some of these women, a party was thrown.

"We had henna," says one woman, while another says there was "music and dancing."

Some people also want to know what age young girls tend to be cut. Some said they were cut at 16, while another said they were cut at 20 and when going for the procedure, saw a girl as young as two who later died.

So even if FGM isn't part of your culture, how can you not be moved by something as utterly tragic as a two-year-old being mutilated? When her decisions about her sexuality were made for her at an age when she couldn't even conceive what sex was?

For those of us shrugging and saying "Well, at least FGM doesn't happen in the UK" - think again.

In the UK alone, according to a report a couple of weeks ago, the Commons Home Affairs Committee said FGM may be one of the most prevalent forms of "severe physical child abuse" taking place in Britain, with an estimated 65,000 girls under the age of 13 at risk.

The survivors say that they have never felt pain like they had on the day they were cut. They describe a pool of blood and one woman says: "I can still feel the sensation where they cut me."

For those who had parties to distract them from the brutal event yet to take place, the bright lights and sound of the celebrations soon faded once they realised what was happening as they were taken to a room and gagged so they wouldn't scream.

Girl Summit 2014 is all about uncovering the lid on FGM and grabbing as much support from the government as possible to help these women. It's also about how ordinary people can sign the pledge to say they don't agree with FGM.

To have your say, visit the website to find out more.