Talking about this subject is "shameful and forbidden"

We set out on our project fearing we would face many difficulties and obstacles in the field, and that is indeed what happened to us in one of the sessions held in the North governorate. In one of the sessions attended by Yasmine and Shaimaa, both eleven years old, I began by introducing the children to the Centre, the project and its objectives, and suddenly the two girls got up and asked to leave the session at once. When I asked why, one of them answered that talking about these subjects is shameful and "forbidden" and that religion does not permit hearing or speaking about such a subject. The two girls insisted on leaving, so I allowed them to leave but asked them to wait for me outside until the session ended, as I wanted to speak with them, and indeed the two girls agreed, though with difficulty.
After the session ended I spoke with the two girls at length and tried to find out why they had refused to take part or attend, and I learned then that they come from a very conservative family that does not allow them to speak about such subjects. I tried to persuade them to attend the sessions, and after much effort the two girls agreed to attend the sessions but without taking part in any activity or speaking about anything. I immediately agreed in principle, and the two remaining sessions for the group were held with Shaimaa and Yasmine present but not taking part. On the last day I asked them to attend the other group the following week, and although this goes against the groups' rules, the general interest required it.
The two girls did indeed attend the second group early and we began as usual with the first session's activities. On the second day there was slight engagement from the two girls, particularly after one of the stories was told and the right and wrong acts in the story were discussed. On the group's last day the two girls felt greatly at ease, and Shaimaa and Yasmine thanked me at length.
At that point I asked them to tell one of the stories to the following week's group, but they refused the idea, and despite many attempts refusal prevailed. So I left them, intending to leave the place, until Yasmine stopped me saying: "I agree, Captain Hadi." I immediately went back and thanked her and then encouraged Shaimaa to do the same, and she agreed, and it was agreed that they would both come to the association at a set time. When I went to the association I was surprised that the group was for boys with no girls in it, so I feared the two girls would back out, but the greater surprise was the two girls' insistence on telling and discussing the story, and that is indeed what happened. It was a wonderful session in which everyone engaged, and I personally consider it one of the best sessions I have run throughout the project.