Peer-reviewed article
ERADICATING FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION: LONG ROAD AHEAD?
Shrinkhala Swaroop ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This paper examines female genital mutilation (FGM), a harmful practice affecting girls in over 30 countries including India. In India, FGM is practiced by the Bohra community under the names Khatna or Khafz/Khafd, primarily in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh, though it remains undocumented and hidden. The paper discusses how FGM violates fundamental human rights, reflects gender inequality, and causes physical and mental health harms. It reviews existing legislation and calls for specific criminal laws to eradicate the practice in India.
Key points
- FGM is practiced in India by the Bohra community (a Shia sub-sect) under the names Khatna or Khafz/Khafd
- The practice is concentrated in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh
- FGM violates human rights principles including bodily integrity, equality, non-discrimination, and the right to health
- FGM reflects deep-rooted gender inequality and constitutes extreme discrimination against women
- India lacks specific legislation criminalizing FGM despite the practice occurring behind cultural and religious justifications
Limitations
This paper is a descriptive analysis and does not present empirical data, prevalence rates, or evaluation of interventions. It cannot tell us the scale of FGM in India, the outcomes for affected girls, or the effectiveness of any prevention or elimination efforts.
Abstract
Female Genital Mutilation is practiced in more than 30 countries including India. The practice of female genital mutilation towards young girls is a very derogatory, barbaric and inhumane. FGM interferes with normal healthy female genital tissue and sexuality, and is a violation of every woman’s right to the highest attainable standard of health. FGM violates a series of well-established human rights principles, norms and standards, including the principles of equality and non-discrimination on the basis of sex, the right to bodily integrity, the right to life (in cases where the procedure results in death), and the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. FGM reflects deep-rooted inequality and constitutes an extreme form of discrimination against women. FGM is practiced in India by the name of Khatna or Khafz/Khafd by Bohra community, a Shia sub-sect found most prominently in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh, although there are no official records on the same, but this has been going on behind the stage. This paper is an attempt to highlight the silent existence of this life-threatening practice behind the curtain of culture and religion, tracing the reasons for practice, its consequences, existing legislations, role of international organizations, lastly it emphasizes on the alarming need of a specific legislation on criminalization of Female Genital Mutilation in India.