There has been an increase in the practice of “repairing” the virginity of Albanian women via a surgical procedure, according to a documentary broadcast on News24.
The practise which has become more popular in the last 20 years, could see as many as three girls per day undergo the intervention to reconstruct the hymen. The operation is done prior to marriage in an attempt to conceal any previous sexual activity from their future husband.
Typically done on girls between the ages of 18-30, and costing around EUR 200, the procedures are carried out in secret and are banned by general gynaecological clinical rules. This doesn’t mean however that clinics will refuse to carry them out. While they are not illegal or mentioned in Albanian law, the very nature of the procedure requires the utmost secrecy.
According to gynaecologists in Tirana, the process is directly related to chauvinism that is deep rooted in Albanian society. While male sexual freedom is accepted and even encouraged, women not being a virgin at marriage is seen as shameful.
One doctor who wished to remain anonymous told the media that “until the 50s, in this country a woman had to hang out her blood-stained sheets after the first wedding night, to prove her virginity to her husband, relatives and neighbours. It is exactly the same phenomenon. Some women even come to the clinic accompanied by their partners, who want to verify their young wives’ virginity when they do not bleed during their first sexual act. This happens in 38% of cases’, the gynaecologist continues.
Psychologist Ervisa Lula explained that virginity is seen as a matter of ownership in Albanian society and that is a part of the negative attitude towards a woman not being a virgin. The husband should be the one to take the virginity and therefore assume ownership over his wife.
Aferdita Onuzi, an ethnologist said that women previously used to mask the lack of a hymen by calculating their menstrual days or resorting to other methods.
But this is not just something that is prevalent in rural areas. Rubena Moisiu, head of the Kico Gliozheni Clinic in Tirana said that many operations take place in the major urban centres of the country.
During the television show, an anonymous young woman gave her testimony which sparked outrage and discussion on social media.
Many of the women who undergo the 20-minute procedure don’t even opt for anaesthetic as they “feel bad spiritually”.
