"From the get-go, I was told I was high-risk, because of the FGM. Going through the system, I didn’t get the care that I deserved, because most of the health professionals are not very well versed in FGM. I felt like I couldn’t just be a patient. I had to be an educator. There were times when I literally felt like the lives of my child and myself were at risk."A vaginal birth was out of the question for me, because of the scarring I have internally. So cesarean was the only option for me to have a healthy baby."It became quite a trigger: the idea to have a vaginal birth and to have so much cutting down there. And my midwife said to me that my scar could open up, which would, for me, destroy the five to 10% of sensation I have. With all of that, I became quite depressed during my pregnancy, because I didn’t know what a delivery would look like for me."It was a very traumatic experience. The only joy was when my baby was given to me. He was healthy; I looked at him and I have never felt a love like that.""People always think it’s an issue that’s happening somewhere across the world. Not in Australia. Not in the U.K. Not in the U.S. It’s happening in Africa, in Asia, or somewhere in the Middle East. They don’t want to think of the fact that actually, because of migration, the communities that practice FGM are moving. They’re now in Australia, they’re in the U.K., they’re in the U.S."People want to hide behind their culture. Yeah, people do have a right to practice their culture — when it doesn’t harm a child. When it doesn’t hurt a woman. When it doesn’t put somebody at risk. But when it does, we have to question the practice."It’s not judging the people. It’s questioning the practice, the act that’s been done. I don’t think culture should ever be a defense against FGM. It should never be: it’s child abuse. It’s violence against women. It’s a symptom of the patriarchy, which is universal across the world.""I think the first thing is finding something you’re passionate about. And when you find something that you’re passionate about, be confident in your convictions in fighting — whether advocating for something or advocating against something."For me, I always just start with my story, my experience. The personal is political. If it’s happened to you, there’s a chance that it’s happened to someone else. So when you speak up, you are validating another woman’s experience. When you speak up, you’re giving someone else a voice."