Medical college calls on government to ban virginity testing and hymenoplasty

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) is calling on the Government to introduce a ban on virginity testing and hymenoplasty in the UK. 

There is no reason why either virginity testing or hymenoplasty, or any other procedure under a different name that seeks to reconstruct or repair the hymen, would need to be carried out for medical purposes, according to a policy statement published by the RCOG recently. Both are harmful practices that create and exacerbate social, cultural and political beliefs that a women’s value is based on whether or not she is a virgin before marriage, say the College.

The scale of the problem is not known in the UK because the procedures are carried out in private clinics and the data is not available. The RCOG is concerned that the way private clinics are advertising these procedures to women is further perpetuating myths around virginity, and in some cases being dishonest about what these procedures can achieve.

The UK Government has committed to legislating to ban virginity testing, but has not yet made this commitment on hymenoplasty. The RCOG is calling for a ban on both.

Dr Edward Morris, President at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: “We are very concerned that women are either being coerced into having these procedures or feel pressurised into having them so they can bleed during sex and can demonstrate they are a virgin on their wedding night.

“We want to see both virginity testing and hymenoplasty banned in the UK. This will send a clear message that there is no place in the medical world for these procedures and that women deserve the right to have ownership over their own sexual and reproductive health.

“We recognise that women seeking these procedures are often in very vulnerable and desperate situations. We would urge healthcare professionals who are approached about virginity testing or hymenoplasty to follow the appropriate safeguarding protocols, to ensure women are able to connect with organisations that can offer support. This should include referring women to police or social services if there is a perceived risk of violence or coercion.”

The RCOG is working with charities including IKWRO and Karma Nirvana to ensure there is support in place for women who are being pressurised into proving their virginity in this way.

Diana Nammi, Executive Director at IKWRO – Women’s Rights Organisation, said: “Virginity testing and hymenoplasty are forms of violence against women and girls and there is no justification for either of these harmful practices, which cause immediate and long-term social and psychological trauma. Like the equally harmful practices of Female Genital Mutilation and forced marriage, both must be banned with immediate effect.

“What we need to see from the government, in addition to an urgent change in the law to ban virginity testing and hymenoplasty, is funding for specialist support services like IKWRO to safeguard women and girls at risk and to engage communities and young people through schools, to challenge the perception that a woman’s or girl’s worth is connected to virginity.”

Natasha Rattu, Executive Director at Karma Nirvana – leading specialist charity for victims of Honour Based Abuse, said: “Every woman deserves the right to make any decision about her body – free from shame, stigma or discrimination, without pressure to subscribe to ‘gender-based societal norms’, and without fear of harm. This is why we are campaigning to end the practice of virginity testing and hymen repair, in addition to tackling the shame and stigma commonly associated to ‘virginity’. ‘Virginity’ is a deeply embedded social norm that has no scientific basis. “We recognise virginity testing and hymenoplasty to be forms of Violence Against Women and Girls, which in itself is both a cause and consequence of gender inequality. We have invited the government to support our call for legislative changes to enable full protection for women and girls from this hidden harm in our written submission to the Home Office Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy. Virginity testing is rarely an isolated incident of abuse, it is often associated with other behaviours that discriminate against, limit or harm women and girls. In our experience, this can include other forms of Honour Based Abuse, such as forced marriage”.

Dr Pallavi Latthe, Chair of The British Society for Paediatric and Adolescent Gynaecology (BritSPAG – a specialist society of the RCOG), said: “The RCOG and BritSPAG would also like to see comprehensive, evidence-based and high-quality information about virginity available on the NHS website, as well as within healthcare and other public sector settings. This information should aim to dispel myths about virginity, and to support women and girls to have ownership over their own sexual and reproductive health. This information should sit within a wider plan for high-quality information around women’s health that can be developed as part of the upcoming Women’s Health Strategy.

“We are committed to working with the Government to make sure legislation does not prohibit clinicians from undertaking clinically necessary procedures, such as the need to repair hymenal remnants following external trauma or another clinical procedure. We are also calling for a review of the clinical codes that relate to the hymen on current NHS systems to make sure there are no codes that allow for clinicians to undertake a hymenoplasty.”

Source: Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

Staff Writer