The Real Housewives of Dubai, Chanel Ayan, emotionally shared a heartbreaking revelation while discussing her traumatic upbringing with a therapist

During her hypnotherapy session, the Kenyan-born model revealed that she and her older sister were circumcised as young children and their family had absolutely no idea. This was so they would remain virgins until marriage; a practice that still happens in some parts of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. “At 5 years old, my aunt and my grandma came to pick us up to take us to another town,” Chanel told the therapist as co-star Dr. Sara Al-Madani sat next to her in support. “And then the next morning at 6 a.m., I didn’t know where I was going whatsoever and then they took us to this man’s house and they just tied us on the bed and we were circumcised.”

Chanel told the therapist she’s experienced so much pain in her life and later explained that her vagina had been sewn shut. “I wanted to get married, I had to go back to the doctor and I had to open it again because it was sewn, couldn’t have sex,” Chanel said in a confessional. “Then, I had to wait until I healed.” She went on to say in the confessional, “I’ve tried to understand and learn about it. Why did that happen? It’s because we need to be virgins when we get married so our families could get our dowry. That’s some f***ed up sh**. It’s like torture. It’s abuse.”