It's hard to imagine willingly agreeing to have your nether region butchered, let alone without any anaesthetic.
For Kakenya Ntaiya undergoing female genital mutilation aged 12 was the only way her father would agree to let her continue going to school.
"I bled, I fainted. I'm very lucky that I'm standing here today sharing my story. Many girls die," she told the National Press Club in Canberra on International Women's Day.
Despite being engaged at age five, Ntaiya had set her sights on becoming a school teacher.
"I told my father I would only undergo the rite of passage if he allows me to go back to school. Otherwise, I was going to run away and running away is something that will destroy his name."
For many girls in rural Kenya, the procedure is a gateway to underage marriage and difficult childbirths before their bodies are ready.
Only 16 per cent of girls in rural Kenya finish high school. Instead, poor families look to marry off their daughters in exchange for up to nine cows.
There are 200 million girls and women who have been cut, from 30 countries, mainly Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Three million more join the ranks each year.
But change is coming.
Ntaiya not only continued her high school education but went on to study in the US and gained a PhD.
She founded a boarding primary school for girls - the Kakenya Centre for Excellence - in 2009 so other youngsters won't have to suffer the same fate as her.
"They are stepping on my shoulder, so what happened to me, it's not going to happen to them," she said.
Although Kenya has outlawed female genital mutilation, it's an uphill battle to stamp out the practice and change attitudes in remote villages.
"I tell my girls that we are starting a revolution in our village, and this will grow and we will take over the country," Dr Ntaiya said.
The Australian government gutted the aid program for African countries in recent years as part of $11 billion in budget cuts.
Dr Ntaiya urged Australian politicians not to turn a blind eye to Africa.
"I'm here because I'm looking for support for my girls to go to university," she said.
"Invest in us for a certain generation and you will see the difference that will happen in Africa."
FACTS ABOUT FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION:
* Procedures can involve the partial or total removal of the clitoris.
* No health benefits for girls and women.
* Carried out on young girls between infancy and age 15.
* The procedures are motivated by beliefs about what is considered acceptable sexual behaviour and aim to ensure premarital virginity and marital fidelity.
* Can cause severe bleeding, problems urinating, cysts, infections, as well as complications in childbirth and increased risk of newborn deaths.
* Considered a human rights violation.
(Soruce: World Health Organisation)
