Child labour (CL) is a grave issue in India that has been prevalent for decades.Despite various efforts by the government to eradicate this problem, it still persists in many parts of the country.The Indian government has implemented several policies to address the issue of CL, including the CL (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, the National Child Labour Project, and the Integrated Child Development Services.However, these policies face several challenges in their implementation.One of the main challenges faced by the government is the lack of awareness and education among parents and employers about the harmful effects of CL.Poverty, illiteracy, and lack of job opportunities are some of the primary reasons that drive children to work.The government needs to address these root causes to eliminate CL effectively.Another challenge is the inadequate enforcement of laws and policies.Many employers continue to engage children in various industries, such as agriculture, domestic work, and manufacturing, due to the lack of proper monitoring and accountability mechanisms.Despite these challenges, there are some prospects for the future of India's policy on CL.The government has taken steps to strengthen its efforts, including the formation of a National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights and a National Child Labour Project.Additionally, the government has increased its allocation of funds towards programs aimed at rescuing and rehabilitating child labourers.The issue of CL remains a significant challenge in India, the government has taken several steps toward eradicating this problem.However, effective implementation of policies and awareness -raising campaigns remain crucial to eliminating CL and providing children with the opportunity to receive an education and a better future.
Future of any nation depends upon on how the nation develop its children, as children are considered to be most crucial and important asset of a nation. Therefore not because of this but also seeing the current scenario the protection of children becomes the most important part nations objective to protect these assets of the nation from the different kinds of exploitation. The exploitation which we are not directed to one area but have taken different forms of it from Sexual Molestation, Child Prostitution to Child Labour, which also highlights about the society we live in, that how incapable we are in protecting our future generations. Still the problem which the author felt is to be first and foremost most important to be dealt by the government is of Child Labour, as unlike other forms of child exploitation is the one where children some time themself decide to go for it; and mostly it is because of the aspect of the existence of poverty at very extreme and other ignored issues. Child Labour is undoubtedly one of the oldest form of child issue in our society which is still an big issue. Started from working in handicraft workshops and agriculture to working in the factories, it was and it is so because that children from very beginning were considered as very profitable asset because they employer doesnt need to pay much to them. We should not let religious & cultural beliefs. Not only physically but also emotionally and intellectually it impacts the development of the child. Hence, therefore considering the different challenges faced by the children, child protection is and in future too should always be the main responsibility of not just government but also society.
Gender equality and non-discrimination on the basis of sex are part of the most frequently recognised norms of international human rights law and this is considered the cornerstone of every democratic society, which aspires to hold in its roots, social justice and human rights. Yet still occurring, is the atrocious act of Khafz or Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (herein referred to as FGM) happening across nations. In India there exists no special law that criminalizes this act but we see it being an offence under the Indian Penal Code, 1860 and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012. On April 20, 2018, the Central Government of India requested the Supreme Court for directions on how to address the menace of FGM. Simultaneously Public Interest Litigations were filed by those seeking a ban on the practice, the young girls of the Dawoodi Bohra community in India, are presently subjected to. The Dawoodi Bohra Women’s Association for Religious Freedom (DBWRF), who are in favour of the practice, countered by saying that this act is circumcision, not mutilation and is a harmless cultural and religious practice unique to their community. This has sparked a debate throughout the country over the practice of FGM and is now a very important issue that needs to be addressed. This is especially so, as conflicting opinions are seen where the direct and harsh consequences are seen in suffering children and women. In 1993, the Vienna declaration of the World Conference on Human Rights had to explicitly dictate that FGM is a violation of human rights due to how grave of an act it was.
PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the experiences, attitudes, and perceptions of Somali female students regarding female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). DESIGN AND METHODS: One hundred seventeen Somali female students participated in this qualitative study. The data were collected in semi-structured focus group interviews. FINDINGS: It was determined that most (49.9%) of these girls were exposed to type-2 FGM/C. Eighty-eight percent of the girls participating in the study stated that they support the continuation of this practice in future generations. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: For risk groups in Turkey, organizing health education programs, training healthcare professionals in Turkey about FGM/C, and creating awareness are recommended.
Female genital mutilation (FGM) refers to any procedure, which is performed for a nonmedical indication and results in an alteration or injuries to the female genitalia.[1] On a global scale, it has been acknowledged as a serious discrimination and violation of the human rights of girls and women and also reflects the inequality prevalent in the society between the sexes for centuries.[1,2] In fact, recent estimates suggest that on average 110–140 million girls have been subjected to some form of FGM worldwide, and if no active measures are taken, another 15 million girls will have to experience the same by 2030.[1,2] FGM: DISTRIBUTION AND CONSEQUENCES These procedures are generally performed between birth and till the girl child attains 15 years of age, and is quite common in 29 nations in Africa and the Middle East.[2,3] In addition, the procedure is performed in various Asian nations and some of the indigenous groups in Latin America.[2] From the health perspective, these procedures are extremely harmful and generally result in immediate (like bleeding, pain, and infection) as well as long-term complications (viz. urinary tract infections, difficulties in childbearing, infertility, and vaginal tears).[1-3] However, from a human rights perspective, it violates their rights to health and physical integrity, their right to be free from torture-inhuman treatment, and even their right to life.[2,4] SOCIOCULTURAL DETERMINANTS FGM is more of an ancient cultural practice and is being influenced by a large number of individual, economic, socio-demographic, and religious (like an uncircumcised girl is considered dirty) attributes.[1,2] For instance, men in their varied roles in different positions in society can play a crucial role in the continuation or abandonment of the procedure.[5] However, social obligations, the position of men and women in society, and the lack of dialog between men and women are the key hurdles toward the aim of ending this unhealthy practice.[1,2] PREVENTION AND CONTROL MEASURES To facilitate the abandonment of FGM, there is an extensive need for coordinated and systematic efforts, which should essentially engage the whole community, with a primary target of safeguarding the rights of girls and women, ensuring gender equality, and addressing the sexual and reproductive health needs of women/girls who are experiencing the adverse consequences of the procedure.[1,3,5] From the legal perspective, most of the nations worldwide have enforced laws, which have made the procedure illegal and by which all the involved persons can be punished.[1] Furthermore, any such completed procedure or any child who is at risk of the same in the future has to be reported to the health authorities mandatorily.[2] Nevertheless, it is important to highlight that by mere enforcement of legislation, the problem cannot be addressed.[1,2] The only effective way to abolish it completely is through a grass-roots approach targeting the education of the community in a culturally sensitive manner and an attempt to make a way out within the existing system of beliefs.[1,2,5] CONCLUSION To conclude, even though the practice of FGM has persisted for hundreds of years, a coordinated and community-based approach can eradicate the problem shortly. Author contributions SRS contributed to the conception or design of the work, drafting of the work, approval of the final version of the manuscript, and agreed to all aspects of the work. PSB contributed to the literature review, revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content, approval of the final version of the manuscript, and agreed on all aspects of the work. HGM contributed to revising the draft, approved the final version of the manuscript, and agreed to all aspects of the work. Financial support and sponsorship Nil. Conflicts of interest There are no conflicts of interest.
Background:Female genital mutilation (FGM) includes all non-medical procedures that involve partial or complete removal of the external female genitalia, or any injury to the female genital organs. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies FGM into four types and recognizes it as an internationally condemned violation of the human rights of girls and women.Objective:To synthesize recent evidence on the classification, global epidemiology, health consequences and primary-care implications of FGM, with particular attention to family physicians, midwives and primary-care nurses caring for immigrant women and girls living in Türkiye.Methods:Narrative review of articles published in English or Turkish between January 2000 and January 2026, identified through PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, the Cochrane Library and DergiPark. Reports and guidelines from WHO, UNICEF and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) were hand-searched for additional grey literature. Emphasis was placed on systematic reviews, meta-analyses, guidelines and policy documents published between 2020 and 2025.Results:Over 230 million girls and women alive today have undergone FGM. The practice is concentrated in approximately 30 countries and is increasingly relevant in host countries because of migration. Recent evidence confirms associations between FGM and obstetric, urological, sexual, psychological and other long-term health complications. Evidence for an association with infertility is suggestive but not definitive. Health-education interventions delivered through trusted community and primary-care channels may reduce the intention to perform FGM in future generations.Conclusion:Although FGM is not part of Türkiye's traditional culture and nationally representative prevalence data are unavailable, primary-care physicians in Türkiye may encounter affected women and girls because of migration from high-prevalence countries. Family physicians, midwives and primary-care nurses are therefore essential to case identification, trauma-informed and culturally sensitive counseling, appropriate referral, and community-level prevention. Targeted health-education programs for immigrant communities from high-prevalence countries are recommended as a primary, non-medical strategy to reduce the practice and its complications.
Özden Gökdemir, Barlas Efe Yılmaz, Bruna Martins et al.
Introduction: An estimated of 500,000 women and girls in the European Union (EU) have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM), with a further 180,000 at risk every year. Meeting the needs of these women and girls demands multidisciplinary action. This paper presents the United to End Female Genital Mutilation (UEFGM) knowledge platform, which is part of an EU-funded project. The platform is designed as a practice tool to improve the knowledge and skills of professionals who are likely to come into contact with women and girls affected by FGM.Method: Literature review was applied in regard to FGM along with expert validation process for the development of the modules particularly the e-learning section, expert and stakeholders' meetings for the other pillars of the Platform.Results: Three pillars were developed in the Platform: a) e-learning, b) country specific focus and c) live-knowledge discussion forum. The Platform explores related knowledge, skills, good practices, shared knowledge among professionals. UEFGM serves professionals and public as well in EU and worldwide.Conclusion: UEFGM comprises e-learning with a country-specific focus and a live discussion forum in which knowledge is shared between professionals worldwide. UEFGM discusses FGM and all related matters in a culturally- and gender-sensitive manner. It is a unique multidisciplinary and multilingual educational resource that has been found useful in everyday practice.
Background: Female genital mutilation (FGM) is practised in 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East where national data are collected about it. FGM has also been documented in specific populations in other parts of the Middle East and Asia, including Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Pakistan, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Increasingly women born in these countries have migrated to England and Wales. Estimates of its prevalence are needed in order to plan health care for affected women and, where necessary, preventive care for their daughters. Methods: Proxy estimates of age specific prevalence from standardised surveys undertaken in the 29 countries were applied to the numbers of women born in those countries who were enumerated in the 2011 census or who registered births in England and Wales to estimate the numbers of affected women, the numbers of affected women giving birth and the numbers of daughters born to affected women living in each local authority area in England and Wales. Individual anonymised census and birth registration records were analysed which made it possible to exclude women from religious and ethnic groups who were unlikely to practise FGM. The estimates were published in tables and interactive maps. Results: The highest estimated prevalence rates were in London boroughs, with the highest being 4.7% of women in Southwark and 3.9% in Brent, compared to 0.5% in England and Wales as a whole. Outside London, Manchester, Slough, Bristol, Leicester and Birmingham have high prevalence rates, ranging from 1.2 to 1.6%. Nowhere had a prevalence of zero, so affected women and girls are likely to be living in every local authority area. Interpretation: Care is needed in interpreting these estimates for many reasons. It is not possible to quantify the prevalence or risk of FGM among girls born in England and Wales.
Female genital mutilation and female genital cutting that undertakes partial or complete removal of female genital organ, is practiced in certain parts of the world in general and in African Arab countries particularly. This is not religious but cultural and Muslim, Christian and to some extent by Jew communities are involved in this custom of circumcising the girls and women prior to their marriages. On the other hand, female circumcision involves the removal of prepuce which should not be confused with FGM (female genital mutilation), for they are completely two different procedures. However, Keeping the circle of the discussion to Muslims, it is very important to mention that there is no Ayat/verse in Al-Quran which even refers to female circumcision, which is also called as Islamic Circumcision. Only weak hadiths are found to support the procedure. However, these hadiths compl-etely forbid FGM as well as Islamic Shariah scholars prohibit this procedure after in carefully conclusive analysis of the said hadiths to be performed on women. FGM dosn’t has any health benefits instead this is very harmful and leads such victims to many gynecological, psychological, emotional and mental complications.
Najia Almas, Muhammad Khan Sangi, Prof. Dr. Rafiq Ahmed Memon
Amaç: Toplumsal bir sorun olan şiddetin önlemesinde, çocuklar ile yakın etkileşimde olan meslek gruplarının önemli rol ve sorumlulukları bulunmaktadır. Mesleki eğitim sırasında, şiddete ilişkin farkındalığın belirlenmesi ve kazandırılması önem taşımaktadır. Bu araştırma, hemşirelik ve çocuk gelişimi bölümünde okuyan öğrencilerin, çocuğa yönelik şiddete karşı duyarlılık düzeylerini belirlemek amacıyla yapılmıştır. Gereç ve Yöntemler: Araştırma, tanımlayıcı araştırma türündedir. Örneklemi, hemşirelik ve çocuk gelişimi bölümlerinde okuyan, araştırmaya katılmayı kabul eden, veri toplama araçlarını eksiksiz dolduran 814 öğrenci oluşturmuştur. Veriler, tanıtıcı bilgi formu ve çocuğa yönelik şiddete duyarlılık ölçeği kullanılarak toplanmıştır. Verilerin analizinde, tanımlayıcı istatistiksel analizler, independent t-test ve Pearson korelasyon katsayısı kullanılmıştır. Bulgular: Öğrencilerin yaş ortalaması 19,9±1,3 olup; %41,9'u çocuğa yönelik şiddete tanıklık etmiş, %19,7'si ise ebeveynlerinden şiddet görmüştür. Öğrencilerin %29,2'si mesleki eğitimi sırasında çocuğa yönelik şiddete ilişkin eğitim almış, %84,5'i eğitim almanın gerekli olduğunu düşünmektedir. Öğrencilerin ölçek toplam puanı ortalaması 50,4±4,4 (min:19, maks:57)'dür. Geniş bir aileye sahip, anne eğitim düzeyi ortaokul ve altında olan, ebeveynlerinden şiddet gördüğünü ifade eden erkek öğrencilerin çocuğa yönelik şiddet duyarlılığı düşük bulunmuştur. Sonuç: Öğrencilerin, çocuğa yönelik şiddete duyarlılık düzeylerinin yüksek olması sevindirici bir bulgudur. Mesleki eğitim müfredatlarının, geleceğin profesyonellerine, şiddetle mücadele konusunda hem teorik hem de davranışsal yeterlilik kazandıracak şekilde yapılandırılması önerilmektedir.
