By Liz Clements
BBC Wales communities correspondent
It wasn’t just being forced to marry that Farah was against, she also didn’t want the test to show she was a virgin.
She was forced to undergo a “degrading” virginity test before she was coerced into a marriage at the age of 18.
“I didn’t know it was a form of abuse” said Farah. “I felt ashamed of what they made me go through and I carry this with me now.”
Virginity testing is illegal in the UK yet charities helping women affected by honour-based abuse still see cases.
Farah – which is not her real name – said her mum took her to a “doctor in the community to see if I was clean”.
“I was coerced into a marriage when I was 18, with the expectation of living with my husband’s family,” she recalled.
“This is not what I wanted and they knew that. I resisted this until the last minute but it made no difference.
“If I had known there was help maybe I would have spoken to someone who understood.”
Farah said she was also “humiliated” on her wedding night when her bloody sheets were shown to her mother-in-law “to prove I was a virgin”.
What is virginity testing?
A virginity test is an illegal procedure which involves the inspection of the hymen in the vagina, intended to determine whether a woman or girl is a virgin.
But the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) have said virginity tests have no scientific merit or clinical indication.
They say there is no known examination that can prove whether a woman has had vaginal intercourse because the hymen can tear for reasons like tampon use and exercise.
Image source, Rachel Stonehouse
A 2020 BBC investigation found hymen-repair kits being sold online for between £150 and £300.
A BBC investigation in 2020 found women were being offered controversial “virginity tests” at British medical clinics, with some advertising so-called “virginity repair” – a procedure called hymenoplasty.
Is virginity testing against the law?
It has been illegal to carry out, offer or aid and abet virginity testing in the UK since 2022 and anyone convicted faces a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment and the possibility of an unlimited fine.
The Health and Care Act 2022 also made it illegal for UK nationals and residents to help with virginity testing outside the UK.
The WHO has said virginity testing was known to be practised in at least 20 countries.
The intrusive tests are considered a violation of human rights by the WHO and the United Nations – and both organisations want to see them banned worldwide.
‘Women don’t know where to go for help’
Farah is now safe having escaped her abusive environment and has moved away from Wales.
But her experiences have had a lasting impact, and she wanted to share her story to raise awareness and help other young women who may be facing the same abuse.
Image source, Getty Images
The number of women affected by virginity testing in the UK is not widely known
“Not many communities will speak out about this but I know a few girls have gone through this but don’t know where to go for help,” she said.
The number of women affected by virginity testing in the UK is not widely known, as issues related to sex can be taboo in these communities.
Some people also do not recognise it as abuse or realise it is illegal – and therefore many do not come forward to report it.
‘Culture is hard to get rid of’
One organisation that supports women from black and ethnic backgrounds has helped seven women who have experienced virginity testing between April and December 2022 and another three who had hymenoplasty.
Bawso said their cases included people from Egyptian, South African, Pakistan, Indian and Saudi Arabian backgrounds.
“It is a prevalent issue as Wales has a lot of people who have migrated from those countries that practice virginity testing,” said its interim chief executive Wanjiku Ngotho-Mbugua.
“We know that people carry their culture with them and culture is so hard to get rid of. The girls who have gone through it are so embarrassed themselves.
“It has not just psychological effects, but a physical effect on these girls because it’s an attack on their dignity. And checking the hymen – that’s a sexual assault.
Interim chief executive Wanjiku Ngotho-Mbugua says Bawso have supported many women in Wales
“These traditions are backwards and we need to get rid of them. We need to challenge culture when it’s painful.”
Karma Nirvana, a charity that helps survivors of honour-based abuse, has also supported 19 women affected by virginity testing since 2021 and want to raise awareness that the procedure is illegal.
Director Natasha Ratu said she understood the procedure could cause “psychological pain and trauma” and women should know virginity tests are not “evidence-based”.
She said society should “dismantle the idea of virginity and not define women by their sexual status”.
Information and guidance for medical professions has been created by the Welsh government to help them recognise the signs of this form of abuse.
Wales’ Chief Nursing Officer Sue Tranka is trying to raise awareness among maternity nurses and doctors
“I think this is something that is quite possibly not talked about enough,” said Wales’ Chief Nursing Officer Sue Tranka.
“This isn’t an easy conversation to have, it’s quite sensitive and you want to ensure that you help women and girls to speak up on this topic.
“We need to call it out. We need to do so in the safest possible way, and we need to look after our survivors.”
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this story, the BBC Action Line has links to organisations which can offer support and advice
