The BBC describes the case of a young woman from Wales who, at the age of 18, was forced to marry and live with her husband’s family. Before the wedding, her mother took her to the doctor to “check if she was clean.” The portal emphasizes that since last year the so-called Virginity testing is illegal in the UK.
I was forced into marriage when I was 18. I was expected to live with my husband’s family. I knew I didn’t want it. I resisted until the last moment, but nothing changed. If I had known that there was help, maybe I would have talked to someone who would understand me,” the woman, who is referred to as Farah (not her real name) in the text, told the BBC.
Her mother forced her to undergo a “humiliating” examination to see if she was still a virgin. Farah explained that the woman took her to “a local doctor to make sure she was clean.” I didn’t know it was a form of violence. I was ashamed of what they made me do. I carry that shame with me to this day,” Farah said. The 18-year-old girl suffered another humiliation during her wedding night. Then, according to Farah’s account, the bloody sheet was shown to her mother-in-law to “prove to her that her daughter-in-law was a virgin.”
The heroine of the text published on the BBC portal has already broken free from the described environment and left Wales. She decided to tell her story in an interview with the station to help young women who fall victim to this type of violence. “It’s not talked about in many communities, but I know a few girls who went through it and didn’t know where to go for help,” Farah concluded.
Virginity tests conducted in 20 countries
As the BBC points out, in Great Britain carrying out the so-called virginity tests or forcing anyone to undergo them from 2022 is against the law. A person found to have done so may be sentenced to imprisonment for up to five years. From information provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that virginity testing is still practiced in at least 20 countries. Such a study is recognized – both by the WHO and UNfor violation human rights. Both organizations are seeking a global ban on this practice.
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