Dream from that awful night still wake me up at night with nightmares. I still remember it like yesterday the night that severed the unity between husband and wife, broke the trust between mother and daughter and destroyed the bond of family.

My father an educated married my village brought up mother after a frustrated search for love and for a while it worked. My brother and I came about and we were happy.

Mother was the submissive type. It came as a surprise one night when I first heard them raise their voices at each other. My ears quickly raised up to catch a glimpse of the reason behind it but I couldn’t.

Some weeks later my brother and I could still tell that something was up. Father was refusing to speak with grandma on the phone and after a while she only calls when he was away and would end the call with a warning to my brother and I not to tell our father about the call.

The holiday period drew close and we were to travel home for the holiday as usual. I had to travel with mother alone because my dad and brother were engaged.

We had planned to stay in my paternal home but mum took me straight to her village where grandma came to meet us.

Late one night I was woken up by my mother. She told me we were going to meet some people and whatever they told me to do I should just obey, grandma was waiting for us outside with torchlight to guide our way.

I was taken into a hut while my mother and grandma waited outside. I was told to lie down with my legs spread out. The words of mother kept ringing in my ears, “whatever they tell you just obey”. The women told me not to worry that I would feel pain but it was all for my own good but when the razor came I wanted to run out and they must have expected it because two strong arms pinned me down. That night I knew the smell of blood and of sweat and of pain.

As the razor cut through my clitoris a part of me died. I knew what was happening I was eleven after all I just didn’t know that I would fall a victim.