The virginity fraud | Nina Dølvik Brochmann and Ellen Støkken Dahl

Prevodilac: Milana Ružić Lektor: Tijana Mihajlović

Nina Dølvik Brochmann: We grew up believing

Nina Dolvik Brokman: Odrasli smo verujući

that the hymen is a proof of virginity.

da je himen dokaz nevinosti.

But it turns out, we were wrong.

Ali ispada da nismo bili u pravu.

What we discovered

Ono što smo otkrili

is that the popular story we're told about female virginity

je to da popularna priča koju su nam ispričali o nevinosti žene

is based on two anatomical myths.

zasnovana na dva anatomska mita.

The truth has been known in medical communities for over 100 years,

Istina je poznata u medicinskim društvima preko 100 godima,

yet somehow these two myths continue to make life difficult

a ova dva mita ipak nekako nastavljaju da otežavaju život

for women around the world.

ženama širom celog sveta.

Ellen Støkken Dahl: The first myth is about blood.

Elen Stoken Dal: Prvi mit je o krvi.

It tells us that the hymen breaks and bleeds

On nam govori da himen puca i krvari

the first time a woman has vaginal sex.

prvi put kada žena ima vaginalni seks.

In other words, if there is no blood on the sheets afterwards,

Drugim rečima, ako nema krvi na posteljini nakon čina,

then the woman was simply not a virgin.

onda žena jednostavno nije bila devica.

The second myth is a logical consequence of the first.

Drugi mit je logičan nastavak drugog.

Since the hymen is thought to break and bleed,

Pošto se veruje da himen puca i krvari,

people also believe that it actually disappears

ljudi takođe veruju da isto tako i nestaje

or is in some way radically altered during a woman's first intercourse.

ili je na neki način radikalno promenjen tokom ženinog prvog snošaja.

If that were true,

Ako je to istina,

one would easily be able to determine if a woman is a virgin or not

osoba bi lako mogla odrediti da li je žena nevina ili ne

by examining her genitals,

pomoću ispitivanja njenih genitalija,

by doing a virginity check.

obavljanjem provere nevinosti.

NDB: So that's our two myths:

NDB: Pa, to su naša dva mita:

virgins bleed,

device krvare

and hymens are lost forever.

i himeni su izgubljeni zauvek.

Now, this may sound like a minor issue to you.

Sada, ovo vam može zvučati kao mali problem.

Why should you care

Zašto bi vam bilo stalo

about an obscure little skin fold on the female body?

do nejasne, male, savitljive kože na ženskom telu?

But the truth is, this is about so much more

Ali, istina je da se ovde radi o nečemu više

than an anatomical misunderstanding.

od običnog anatomskog nesporazuma.

The myths about the hymen have lived on for centuries

Mitovi o himenu postoje vekovima

because they have cultural significance.

zbog njegovog kulturološkog značaja.

They have been used as a powerful tool

Korišćeni su kao moćno sredstvo

in the effort to control women's sexuality

u pokušaju kontrolisanja ženske seksualnosti

in about every culture, religion and historical decade.

u skoro svakoj kulturi, religiji i istorijskoj deceniji.

Women are still mistrusted,

Žene su i dalje pogrešno shvaćene,

shamed,

posramljene,

harmed

povređene

and, in the worst cases, subjected to honor killings

i, u najgorim slučajevima, podvrgnute ubistvima zbog časti

if they don't bleed on their wedding night.

ako nisu krvarile tokom bračne noći.

Other women are forced through degrading virginity checks,

Druge žene su primorane da prolaze kroz ponižavajuće provere nevinosti

simply to obtain a job,

jednostavno da bi dobile posao,

to save their reputation

da bi sačuvale svoj ugled

or to get married.

ili da bi se udale.

ESD: Like in Indonesia,

ESD: Kao u Indoneziji,

where women are systematically examined to enter military service.

gde se žene sistematski ispituju da bi pristupile vojsci.

After the Egyptian uprisings in 2011,

Nakon ustanka u Egiptu 2011. godine,

a group of female protesters were forced to undergo virginity checks

grupu ženskih demonstranata je vojska primorala da prođe kroz proveru nevinosti.

by their military.

In Oslo, doctors are examining the hymens of young girls

U Oslu doktori ispituju himene mladih devojaka

to reassure parents that their children are not ruined.

da bi uverili roditelje da njihova deca nisu upropašćena.

And sadly, the list goes on.

I tužno je što se lista nastavlja.

Women are so afraid not to live up to the myths about the hymen

Žene su u takvom strahu da ne ispune očekivanja mitova o himenu

that they choose to use different virginity quick fixes

da biraju da koriste različite brze popravke nevinosti

to assure a bleeding.

da bi osigurale da se krvarenje javi.

That could be plastic surgery,

To može biti plastična hirurgija,

known as "revirgination,"

poznata kao „ponovna nevinost“,

it could be vials of blood poured on the sheets after sex

to mogu biti epruvete krvi prosute po posteljini nakon seksa

or fake hymens bought online,

ili lažni himeni kupljeni na internetu,

complete with theater blood

ispunjeni pozorišnom krvlju

and a promise to "kiss your deep, dark secret goodbye."

i obećanjem da „kažu zbogom svojim dubokim i mračnim tajnama“.

NDB: By telling girls that no deed can be kept secret,

NDB: Govoreći devojkama da nijedno delo ne može ostati tajna,

that their bodies will reveal them no matter what,

da će ih njihova tela otkriti kad-tad,

we have endowed them with fear.

podarili smo im strah.

Girls are afraid of ruining themselves,

Devojke se plaše da će se upropastiti,

either through sport,

bilo kroz sport,

play,

igru,

tampon use

korišćene tampona

or a sexual activity.

ili seksualnu aktivnost.

We have curtailed their opportunities and their freedoms.

Smanjili smo njihove mogućnosti i njihovu slobodu.

It's time we put an end to the virginity fraud.

Vreme je da stanemo na kraj prevari vezanoj za nevinost.

It's time we break the myths about the hymen

Vreme je da razbijemo mitove o himenu

once and for all.

jednom zauvek.

ESD: We are medical students,

ESD: Mi smo studenti medicine,

sexual health workers

seksualni zdravstveni radnici

and the authors of "The Wonder Down Under."

i autorke „Čuda ispod“.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

That's a popular science book about the female genitals.

To je popularna naučna knjiga o ženskim genitalijama.

And in our experience, people seem to believe

I prema našem iskustvu, ljudi izgleda veruju

that the hymen is some kind of a seal covering the vaginal opening.

da je himen neka vrsta pečata koja pokriva vaginalni otvor.

In Norwegian, it is even called "the virgin membrane."

Na norveškom se čak i naziva „devičanska membrana“.

And with this, we picture something fragile,

A to zamišljamo kao nešto krhko,

something easily destructible,

nešto lako uništivo,

something you can rip through,

nešto što možeš pocepati,

perhaps like a sheet of plastic wrapping.

možda kao list plastičnog omota.

You may have wondered why we brought a hula hoop onstage today.

Možda ste se pitali zašto smo doneli hula hop danas na scenu.

We'll show you.

Pokazaćemo vam.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

Now, it is very hard to hide

Veoma je teško sakriti

that something has happened to this hoop, right?

da se nešto dogodilo ovom obruču, zar ne?

It is different before and after I punched it.

Drugačiji je pre nego što sam ga udarila i nakon toga.

The seal is broken,

Pečat je slomljen,

and unless we change the plastic,

i ukoliko ne promenimo plastiku,

it won't get back to its intact state.

neće se vratiti u svoje prvobitno stanje.

So if we wanted to do a virginity check on this hoop right here,

Stoga, ako bismo želeli da uradimo proveru nevinosti na ovom obruču ovde,

right now,

upravo sad,

that would be very easy.

to bi bilo veoma lako.

It's easy to say that this hoop is not a virgin anymore.

Lako je reći da ovaj obruč nije više nevin.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

NDB: But the hymen is nothing like a piece of plastic

NDB: Ali himen nije uopšte nalik na ovo parče plastike

you can wrap around your food,

koje možeš omotati oko svoje hrane

or a seal.

ili na pečat.

In fact ...

U stvari...

it's more like this --

više je nalik ovome -

a scrunchie or a rubber band.

gumici za kosu ili lastišu.

The hymen is a rim of tissue at the outer opening of the vagina.

Himen predstavlja obod tkiva na spoljašnjem otvoru vagine.

And usually, it has a doughnut or a half-moon shape

I obično ima oblik krofne ili polumeseca

with a large, central hole.

sa velikom rupom u sredini.

But this varies a lot,

Ali ovo puno varira,

and sometimes hymens can have fringes,

i ponekad himeni mogu imati rubove,

it can have several holes,

mogu imati nekoliko rupa

or it can consist of lobes.

i mogu se sastojati od nekoliko režnjeva.

In other words, hymens naturally vary a lot in looks,

Drugim rečima, himeni se prirodno veoma razlikuju po izgledu

and that is what makes it so hard to do a virginity check.

i zbog toga je teško obaviti proveru nevinosti.

ESD: Now that we know a bit more about the hymen's anatomy,

ESD: Sada kada znamo nešto više o anatomiji himena,

it's time to get back to our two myths:

vreme je da se vratimo na naša dva mita:

virgins bleed,

device krvare,

hymens are lost forever.

himeni su izgubljeni zauvek.

But the hymen doesn't have to break at all.

Ali himen uopšte ne mora da pukne.

The hymen is like a scrunchie in function as well as in looks.

Himen je kao gumica za kosu po funkciji i izgledom.

And you can stretch a scrunchie, right?

A gumica može da se razvuče, zar ne?

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

You can stretch a hymen, too.

I himen se može razvući.

In fact, it's very elastic.

U stvari, veoma je elastičan.

And for a lot of women,

I kod mnogo žena

the hymen will be elastic enough to handle a vaginal intercourse

himen će biti dovoljno elastičan da podnese vaginalni snošaj,

without sustaining any damage.

a da ne pretrpi neku štetu.

For other women, the hymen may tear a bit to make room for the penis,

Drugim ženama, himen se može pokidati malo da bi napravio mesto za penis,

but that won't make it disappear.

ali neće zbog toga nestati,

But it may look a bit different from before.

ali će možda izgledati drugačije nego pre.

It naturally follows that you can't examine the hymen

Prirodno sledi da se himen ne može ispitati

to check for virginity status.

da bi se ispitao status nevinosti.

This was noted over 100 years ago in 1906

Ovo je primetila pre 100 godina, 1906. godine,

by the Norwegian doctor Marie Jeancet.

norveška doktorka Meri Ženset.

She examined a middle-aged sex worker

Ona je ispitala seksualnu radnicu srednjih godina

and concluded that her genitalia were reminiscent of a teenage virgin.

i zaključila da su njene genitalije bile nalik onima kod devica-tinejdžerki.

But that makes sense, right?

Ali to ima misla, zar ne?

Because if her hymen was never damaged during sex,

Jer ako njihov himen nije nikad oštećen tokom seksa,

then what were we expecting to see?

šta smo onda očekivali da vidimo?

ESD: Since hymens come in every shape and form,

ESD: Pošto se himeni javljaju u svim oblicima i formama,

it is difficult to know

teško je znati

if a dent or a fold in it is there because of previous damage

da li je neko udubljenje ili nabor ovde zbog prethodno nanete štete

or if it's just a normal anatomical variant.

ili je to samo normalna anatomska varijacija.

The absurdity of virgin testing

Apsurdnost testiranja nevinosti

is illustrated in a study done on 36 pregnant teenagers.

je ilustrovana u istraživanju urađenom na 36 trudnih tinejdžerki.

When doctors examined their hymens,

Kada su doktori ispitali njihove himene,

they could only find clear signs of penetration

samo su pronašli jasne znakove penetracije

in two out of the 36 girls.

kod 2 od 36 devojaka.

So unless you believe in 34 cases of virgin births --

Stoga, osim u slučaju da verujete u 34 porođaja devica -

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

we must all agree

moramo se svi složiti

that also our second myth has taken a vital blow.

da je i drugi mit dobio značajan udarac.

You simply cannot look a woman between her legs

Ne možete jednostavno ženu samo pogledati između nogu

and read her sexual story.

i pročitati njenu seksualnu priču.

NDB: Like most myths, the myths about the hymen are untrue.

NDB: Kao i većina mitova, oni o himenu su netačni.

There is no virgin seal that magically disappears after sex,

Nema nikakvog devičanskog pečata koji magično nestaje nakon seksa,

and half of virgins can easily have sex without bleeding.

a polovina devica može imati seks a da ne krvari.

We wish we could say that by removing these myths,

Volele bismo da možemo reći da će uz uklanjanje ovih mitova

everything would be OK,

sve biti okej,

that shame, harm and honor killings would all just disappear.

da će sram, šteta i ubistva zbog časti nestati tek tako.

But of course, it's not that simple.

Ali, naravno, to nije toliko jednostavno.

Sexual oppression of women comes from something much deeper

Seksualno ugnjetavanje žena potiče iz nečeg mnogo dubljeg

than a simple anatomical misunderstanding about the properties of the hymen.

od jednostavnog anatomskog nesporazuma o karakteristikama himena.

It's a question of cultural and religious control of women's sexuality.

Pitanje je kulturološke i religijske kontrole ženske seksualnosti.

And that is much harder to change.

A to je mnogo teže promeniti.

But we must try.

Ali moramo pokušati.

ESD: As medical professionals, this is our contribution.

ESD: Ovo je naš doprinos kao medicinskih profesionalaca.

We want every girl, parent and [future] husband to know

Želimo da svaka devojka, roditelj i budući muž znaju

what the hymen is and how it works.

šta je himen i kako funkcioniše.

We want them to know

Želimo da znaju

that the hymen can't be used as a proof of virginity.

da se himen ne može iskoristiti kao dokaz nevinosti.

And that way, we can remove one of the most powerful tools

I na taj način možemo ukloniti jedno od najmoćnijih sredstava

used to control young women today.

koje se koristi da se kontrolišu mlade žene danas.

After telling you this,

Nakon što vam ovo kažemo,

you may wonder what the alternative is,

možda ćete se zapitati šta je alternativa,

for if we cannot use the hymen as a proof of virginity for women,

jer ako ne možemo koristiti himen kao dokaz nevinosti žena,

then what should we use?

šta onda treba da koristimo?

We opt for using nothing.

Biramo da ne koristimo ništa.

(Cheering)

(Ovacije)

If you --

Ako vi -

(Applause)

(Aplauz)

If you really want to know if a woman is a virgin or not,

Ako zaista želite da znate da li je žena devica,

ask her.

pitajte je.

(Laughter)

(Smeh)

But how she answers that question is her choice.

Ali kako će vam odgovoriti na to pitanje je njen izbor.

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)