Women are being offered controversial “virginity tests” at British medical clinics, an investigation by BBC Newsbeat and 100 Women has found.
The intrusive tests are considered a violation of human rights by the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations, which want to see them banned.
Critics say they are unscientific, cannot prove whether someone is a virgin and can be a form of abuse.
The tests involve a vaginal examination to check if the hymen is intact.
The BBC investigation found a number of private clinics advertising “virginity repair” which, when contacted, then also offered the so-called virginity test for between £150 and £300.
The BBC identified 21 clinics and managed to make inquiries with 16 of them, seven confirmed they offer “virginity testing” and several others would not clarify their position.
All said they would carry out hymen-repair surgery, which costs in the region of £1,500 to £3,000. Data from NHS England shows 69 hymen-repair procedures have been carried out in the past five years.
Newsbeat has heard the story of one woman helped by the charity Karma Nirvana, which supports victims of so-called honour-based abuse and forced marriage.
“I had a very emotionally abusive relationship with my parents who wanted me to have an arranged marriage,” she says.
‘Running away was my only option’
“One day, an elder in the community saw me out with my friends and said to my mum that one of the boys was my boyfriend. There were lots of rumours in the community about it.”
She was then threatened with a “virginity test” by her parents.
“My parents and the family of the man they wanted me to marry said I had to have a virginity test to prove I was still a virgin so the marriage could go ahead.
“I was scared and didn’t really understand what it meant. I felt running away was my only option – so that’s what I did.”
Priya Manota manages the helpline for Karma Nirvana.
“We have received calls from girls who are concerned about this. It might be that they are worried their families have found out perhaps they’ve been in a relationship or they’re not a virgin. It might be family are pressuring them to go through with tests and they are concerned about the outcome of that.
“Triggers for honour-based abuse and forced marriage are being in a relationship, choosing your own partner and being in an intimate or sexual relationship. We know at the charity many victims in extreme cases have been killed. For other victims it might be they are disowned by family.”
Virginity testing is known to be practised in at least 20 countries, according to WHO, which says there is no evidence that it can prove whether a woman or girl has had sex or not. This is because the hymen can tear for many reasons, including tampon use and exercise.
Last year, US rapper T.I. sparked outrage after admitting during a podcast he takes his daughter for a test every year to check her hymen is still intact.
