what am i doing out here?

Mes amis,

I suppose I should share my work with you. I will be working on a child protection and gender-based violence survey in three camps. Though I would never have thought that these topics would become a specialty, I find myself drawn to the topics in the gender based violence sector…now, they have become more real and tangible to me. Issues that I will encounter include domestic violence, sexual assault, and female genital mutilation.

I remember the first time I learned about female genital mutilation (FGM). I was in 2nd or 3rd grade at my violin teacher’s house. I enjoyed looking at her subscription to Life magazine…there were always amazing photographs. In the “Year in Pictures” edition (or something of that nature), there was a photo of two or three women facing the camera looking into the open legs of a young girl. The head of the young girl was obscured, but the women’s faces were intent upon their task. The caption explained that the women were performing “female circumcision” which entailed the excision of “the clitoris.” I was mystified by these terms. What were they doing? I understood that some sort of cutting was taking place, and whatever it was, it sounded painful, but what exactly what was a “clitoris”? So a few nights later, at dinner, I innocently innocently: “What’s a clitoris?” My brother, then in high school, shuddered, and whined, “Do we have to talk about this at the DINNER TABLE?” I don’t remember the rest of the scene, but I think I was shushed. I was surprised by the reaction. After all, my parents encouraged questions. Somehow I found out what it meant. Little did I know that I would become involved in this issue years (and seemingly, lives) later.