"I had always taken my whole vulva for granted"

“Although I am a midwife, I never thought much about my vulva. Until I worked on one of the ships that rescue people attempting to cross the Mediterranean, fleeing from home and the horrors of Libya. I remember asking one of the rescued ladies if she'd been mutilated. It was a standard question that we asked every woman on board. She planted her strong, tough gaze straight into mine and said: "Aunty, I don't think one of us was not cut down there." That's when it truly hit me. That's when I realised how I had always taken my whole vulva for granted. My tattoo is to remind me of my time on board. To remind me of all of them, these strong, amazing ladies.”

– E, 32 years old, France (she/her)