Virginity Testing

Virginity testing is a human rights violation involving an examination of the female genitalia, often by a healthcare professional, intended to correlate the appearance of the hymen in women or girls with previous sexual intercourse. Virginity testing examinations are conducted under a variety of circumstances and settings: before marriage to establish virginity, to disprove or prove an allegation of sexual violence, to legally assess the allegation of a woman or girl not being a virgin in the absence of bleeding on her wedding night, and to intimidate political activists and detainees. Despite the United Nations Human Rights Office, United Nations Women, and World Health Organization calling for a ban on this practice, it remains common practice in various regions around the world. It is the position of the International Association of Forensic Nurses that virginity testing cannot accurately determine if consensual sexual activity or sexual abuse has occurred and can result in significant physical, psychological, and social consequences.