This archive report was first published on 8 November 2019.
US rapper T.I's daughter Deyjah Harris has been at the center of controversy after her father revealed he checks her hymen on her birthday.
According to T.I, he escorts Deyjah to the doctor's office after each birthday to 'check her hymen', a practice that has sparked widespread outrage.
He revealed the practice in a recent podcast interview, stating: 'Usually like the day after the [birthday] party, she's enjoying her gifts, I put a sticky note on the door: 'Gyno. Tomorrow. 9:30'.
Nigerian actress Halima Abubakar has weighed in on the controversy, admitting that her father used to take her to different doctors to confirm her virginity when she was younger.
However, Abubakar noted that while she hated the practice, there was nothing wrong with parents subjecting their daughters to virginity tests.
She wrote: ' I don't see anything wrong in checking if your daughter is still a virgin. I remember my dad taking me to see different doctors, just to be sure. He stopped after the 3times. I hated him then a bit. But he is just a father trying to protect his stubborn daughter.'
The practice of 'virginity testing' was condemned by the World Health Organization, U.N. Human Rights, and U.N. Women in 2018, who issued a statement demanding its elimination.
