By lady Perpetua L. Anurugwo Emeh
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is widely recognised for the physical harm it can cause. However, beyond the visible injuries and medical complications lies another dimension of suffering that often receives far less attention: the psychological trauma experienced by survivors.
While physical consequences may be documented in medical records, the emotional scars can remain hidden for years. Fear, anxiety, depression, shame, anger, grief and difficulties with trust may become part of a survivor’s experience. Yet, in many communities, discussing these consequences remains difficult because FGM is closely connected to cultural expectations, family identity and social acceptance.
Researchers have identified psychological consequences as a neglected area of FGM research (Omigbodun et al., 2022). Similarly, Tammary and Manasi (2023) highlighted significant gaps in the study of mental health outcomes associated with the practice. Their review of African studies found that only a small proportion examined mental health outcomes, revealing an important imbalance in the evidence available.
This raises a fundamental question: If the physical consequences of FGM deserve medical attention, why should its psychological consequences remain in the shadows?
1. Beyond Physical Injury: The Hidden Emotional Cost
The psychological impact of FGM cannot be understood simply by examining the physical procedure. A survivor’s experience may also be shaped by the circumstances surrounding the cutting, the age at which it occurred, the involvement of trusted family members, and the cultural meaning attached to the practice.
Research reviewed by Tammary and Manasi (2023) identified depression as a commonly reported mental health outcome, alongside anxiety, somatisation and sleep disturbances.
These findings do not mean that every survivor will experience the same symptoms. Each woman’s circumstances, memories and coping mechanisms are different. Nevertheless, the recurring reports of psychological difficulties demonstrate why mental health must be included in discussions about FGM prevention, treatment and survivor support.
A wound that cannot be seen is not necessarily a wound that does not exist.
For some survivors, the consequences may become apparent immediately. For others, feelings of anger, grief or confusion may emerge years later. Some may struggle to explain their experiences because they were raised to understand FGM as a normal part of growing up or as a requirement for acceptance.
When society recognises only physical injury, survivors may find themselves without the language, understanding or support needed to describe their emotional pain.
- When Tradition Becomes a Barrier to Speaking Out
In their 2022 study of women’s experiences of FGM in the Izzi communities of southeastern Nigeria, Omigbodun and colleagues used narrative methods to explore how women understood and described the practice.
Their work highlights the importance of considering the social environment in which FGM occurs. For some women, the experience is not understood solely in terms of bodily harm; it is also connected to belonging, identity and the expectations of their communities.
Speaking against a deeply rooted practice can carry social consequences. A woman who questions FGM may fear being misunderstood, judged or regarded as rejecting her family’s traditions. She may also worry about how her views will affect relationships with relatives and other community members.
Consequently, silence can become a means of self-protection.
A survivor may remain quiet not because she has no pain, but because speaking about that pain feels socially costly. She may love her family while struggling to understand why a decision affecting her body was made without her consent.
This creates a difficult reality: the social consequences of speaking can be immediate, while the emotional consequences of remaining silent may continue for years.
Understanding this conflict is essential. Survivors should not be pressured to disclose their experiences, but neither should they be made to feel that silence is the only acceptable response.
- FGM, Social Capital and the Price of Belonging
Omigbodun et al. (2022) drew on Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of social capital to interpret women’s narratives about FGM.
Social capital refers to the resources, support and opportunities people may obtain through their social relationships and networks. In communities where FGM is associated with social acceptance, marriageability or cultural identity, undergoing the practice may be perceived as a way of securing recognition and belonging.
In such settings, FGM can become more than a physical act. It can be connected to the social value attached to a woman’s identity and her perceived place within the community.
This helps explain why challenging the practice may be difficult, even when its harmful consequences are known.
For a woman whose acceptance has been tied to undergoing FGM, acknowledging its psychological harm may create an uncomfortable conflict between personal experience and community expectations. She may feel compelled to defend the practice because it has been presented to her as necessary for respectability, marriage or acceptance.
This should not be interpreted as proof that every survivor supports FGM or that every community attaches the same meaning to it. Rather, it demonstrates how social expectations can influence the way individuals understand, discuss and respond to their experiences.
The important point is that a person should never have to suffer in silence to preserve her place in society.
Cultural identity and community belonging should not depend on accepting harm. Communities can preserve their heritage while questioning practices that compromise bodily autonomy, dignity and well-being.
- The Research Gap: Who Is Listening to Survivors?
The limited attention given to the psychological consequences of FGM raises important questions about research, healthcare and public awareness.
Tammary and Manasi (2023) reported substantial gaps in the African research landscape concerning mental health outcomes and interventions for survivors. Their review underscores the need for stronger evidence about psychological support and the relationship between mental and sexual health.
Where evidence is limited, healthcare systems and community organisations may struggle to develop services that adequately address survivors’ needs.
FGM-related healthcare should therefore extend beyond identifying physical complications. Where appropriate, support should also include sensitive psychological assessment, trauma-informed counselling, confidential referral pathways and access to qualified mental health professionals.
Healthcare providers should approach survivors without blame or judgement. They should also recognise that some women may not wish to discuss their experiences immediately.
Support must be offered, not imposed.
Researchers, policymakers, healthcare professionals and community leaders have a responsibility to ensure that survivors’ emotional well-being receives appropriate attention. Further studies should investigate survivors’ experiences across different Nigerian communities, including their coping strategies, access to care and preferences for support.
The absence of sufficient research should not be mistaken for the absence of suffering.
- Breaking the Silence Without Blaming Survivors
Conversations about FGM must be conducted carefully. Condemning the practice should not become an excuse to shame the women who have undergone it.
Many survivors were children when the procedure occurred. They may not have understood what was happening or possessed the power to refuse. Others may have grown up in environments where questioning the practice was difficult or dangerous.
Responsibility for ending FGM must not be placed on survivors alone.
Families, traditional leaders, educators, religious leaders, healthcare workers and policymakers all have roles to play in creating communities where girls can grow up without fear of genital cutting.
Parents and guardians should be encouraged to protect children’s bodily autonomy and well-being. Community leaders can help challenge harmful expectations without humiliating families. Schools can provide age-appropriate education, while healthcare professionals can offer confidential, compassionate care.
Most importantly, survivors should be allowed to define their own experiences.
Some may choose to speak publicly. Others may prefer privacy. Some may seek counselling, while others may find support through trusted relationships or survivor-centred organisations. There is no single correct way to process a painful experience.
The goal should be to create an environment in which every survivor can seek support without fear of rejection, ridicule or blame.
- What FGM Leaves Behind: A Message to Survivors
You may have learned to separate what happened to you from how you speak about it. Some memories may remain vivid, while others may feel distant or difficult to explain.
You may sometimes feel disconnected from your body or find it difficult to trust people who were present when the procedure happened. You may experience anger unexpectedly, even years later.
None of these experiences automatically defines who you are.
You may grieve the choice that was taken away from you. You may feel hurt by people you still love. You may struggle to reconcile your family’s intentions, cultural expectations and your own feelings about what happened.
You are allowed to acknowledge those complicated emotions.
You do not have to choose between loving your family and recognising that you were harmed. You do not have to pretend that everything is fine simply because others consider the practice traditional.
The shame associated with FGM does not belong to the survivor.
If you have been affected emotionally, seeking support from a qualified, compassionate mental health professional may help you explore your feelings at your own pace. You deserve to be heard without being judged, and you deserve care that respects your choices and boundaries.
You also have the right not to share your story until you feel ready. Your experience belongs to you. You do not owe anyone a public explanation or a performance of strength.
What happened to you does not have to determine your entire future. Your relationship with your body, your identity and your sense of self can continue to develop in ways that reflect your own choices.
You are more than what was done to you.
Conclusion: Until We Name the Trauma, We Cannot Fully Address It
The psychological consequences of FGM deserve the same seriousness, compassion and attention as its physical complications.
Research by Omigbodun et al. (2022) and Tammary and Manasi (2023) draws attention to important gaps in understanding survivors’ experiences and the mental health outcomes associated with the practice. These gaps make further research, survivor-centred healthcare and open public discussion essential.
The silence surrounding FGM-related trauma is shaped by social expectations, cultural narratives and the fear of being misunderstood. Addressing it requires more than asking survivors to speak. It requires communities to become willing to listen.
We must build a society in which women can describe their experiences without losing their dignity, in which cultural heritage can be discussed honestly, and in which the well-being of girls takes precedence over harmful expectations.
Ending FGM is not only about preventing a physical procedure. It is also about protecting bodily autonomy, acknowledging emotional suffering and ensuring that survivors have access to compassionate support.
**Tradition should never require a woman to remain silent about her pain. Healing begins when survivors are heard, believed and treated with dignity.
An awareness and advocacy series examining Female Genital Mutilation, its effects on women and girls, and the importance of education, prevention, survivor support and community responsibility.
Author: lady Perpetua L. Anurugwo Emeh
Publication: Upa News247
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