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Dear Sir/Madam,
I am writing to you in anticipation
that you might be able to
help me in any way to solve
the problem my children and
I are facing, I have decided
to contact you after hearing
about your organization in
a female workshop I attended
a couple of days ago.
My name is Comfort, I come
from the Mid-Western part of
Nigeria, a mother of two children,
a daughter and a son. I live
with my children and their
father in Benin City where
I have spent most part of my
life, our two rooms apartment
wasn't really much in terms
of space and comfort but it
was our home, a place we found
peace and happiness, our shelter
from all the troubles of the
world, that is until my troubles
began.
It all began when my daughter
turned 3, the age of circumcision
in my tribe. I was circumcised
as a little girl in my village
together with many other girls
in my age group. I still remember
the painful experience and
the memories still haunt me
till today. I had a lot of
complications during childbirth,
which is as a result of circumcision;
the circumcision of my son
brought back horrible memories,
which almost depressed me as
he was circumcised when he
was only 7 days old.
Over the years, I have had
problems with my family and
the people around me. I was
regarded as a cheap whore and
a disgrace as I was not legally
married to my boyfriend. Bearing
children out of wedlock is
considered an embarrassment
and one is often subjected
to humiliations and harassment,
for years I endured this hostile
situation and now the issue
of my daughter's circumcision
has brought the hostility to
itÕs peak.
As my daughter grew older and
closer to circumcision age
that is between 3 and 6 years,
I got weary of the fact that
it will take a tough long battle
to protect her from being mutilated,
over the years the act of circumcision
has remained the same, the
ritual is basically the same,
the children are being circumcised
without anesthesia, the instruments
used are not sterilized and
the condition of the place
where it is carried out is
unhygienic, that explains some
of the reasons why infant mortality
is at a high rate in Nigeria.
Considering the consequences
of circumcision and the fact
that I am a victim, I was determined
not to put my daughter through
it, a few days before her planned
circumcision day, I ran away
with her to a close friend
who took us in, but this action
cost me a great deal as my
boyfriend became violent and
beat me up badly, he and his
relatives forced me to promise
and swear an oath that I will
make her available on the next
general circumcision which
is few months away.
My home
that was once peaceful became
a home of sadness as my boyfriend
constantly hits me, he threatened
to attack me with acid if
I didn't keep to my promise,
and now I am in a state of
confusion and distress as
I am running out of places
to hide, everyone that has
helped us has been constantly
threatened and harassed,
reporting to the local authorities
has done nothing to ease
the situation as most members
of the police force believes
our tradition comes before
any other adopted law. I
have met with other women
in similar situations that
have suffered death threat
like me and some have even
received acid burns on their
bodies due to their refusal
to succumb to the demand
of their husbands or boyfriends.
I am appealing to you to help
me in anyway you can to protect
me and my children from this
constant harassment and threat,
advice me on what legal steps
to take or any other solution
that you might find helpful.
PLEASE HELP!!!! I AM DESPERATE
TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Yours truly, Comfort.
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