Veiled pain is the result of an exploration study which was conducted in the period from January 2008 to July 2009. The study focused on the psychological, social an relational consequences of female genital mutilation. The study is one of the many activities undertaken by Pharos during the last decade, made possible by the help of many health and community organisations to contribute to the fight against and prevention of FGM in the Netherlands. The aim of this report was to achieve an improvement in the way victims of FGM are provided with psychological and mental health care. Hence, the problems faced by these victims needed to be more clearly identified, including under what circumstances such problems come to the fore and what factors play a role in the development of psychosocial and sexual issues.