Mercy wanted to undergo FGM. She saw it as a tradition central to her culture and to her future. Her own grandmother was an elder who practised FGM – she was a ‘cutter’. But Mercy’s mother fought to keep her safe – even fighting against what Mercy thought she wanted.

“Not many women dare to stand up to their own community. And not many men then dare to support their wives,” says Mercy. She was lucky that she had both fighting for what was right for her.

Mercy was often teased for not having undergone FGM at school, but when she reached high school, “everything got better”. There, there were a lot more girls who were uncircumcised. There she also learnt more about what the procedure entails, how much it hurts and what the risks are.

“Little by little, I learned to realise how incredibly good what my mother does is. And now I am so grateful to her. I am now going to school, I can probably go to college, I [am] a role model and talk to girls about this issue.”