Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is
widely prevalent in all forms in Indian Bohra Community and more than three-fourth
study participants have undergone the procedure in some form according
to a study published on February 5, 2018.
The study
results reveal heart wrenching truth about the practice only weeks after Ministry
for Women and Child Development submitted an affidavit to the Supreme Court of
India on December 2017, denying the existence of any data on such practice in
India.
The study
was published on the eve of International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM and supported
by WeSpeakOut, the largest survivor led movement to end FGM in Bohra samaj in
India and Nari Samata Manch (NSM) working for gender equality and end cruelty cross
women in Maharastra.
International
Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM is marked on February 6, 2018 to raise awareness
of female genital mutilation (FGM) and to encourage abandonment of the
procedure worldwide.
The study
sampled 94 participants from thirteen locations across five states in India:
Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Kerala of which 83 were
women and 11 were men. The samples also included Bohra expats from western
world, traditional circumcisers, healthcare professionals, and teachers.
Data
indicated that 81 (97%) women in the sample had been subjected to
Khafd or Clitoridectomy. It was seen that both partial or total removal of
clitoris and/or clitoral hood (Types 1a and 1b FGM) is widely practiced, as
well as other forms (Type 4 FGM/C) like pricking, piercing or cauterization.
The average
age at which the girls are cut is 7 years.
Nearly all
the women reported it as a painful experience with immediate and long term genitourinary complications and bleeding following the cut .
One-third of women reported that the procedure has affected their sexual lives for ever while other reported many psychological and trust issues later in life.
Besides being
a traditional ritual and religious beliefs, FGM also aims at curbing women’s
sexual desire and promiscuity and limiting her sexual pleasure.
Traditional
circumcisers told the researchers that they have cut thousands of girls. With
increasing urbanization FGH is increasingly being practiced by nurses and
healthcare providers, with Bohra men being involved passively as well as
actively.
The Bohra
women are very vocal about the issue and have publicly demanded an end of this dehumanizing
practice, but the government of India continues to turn a blind eye. A petition
was filed in India’s Supreme court to ban FGM recently.
Meanwhile, the
proponents of khafd say that it is just a ‘nick’ unlike the curse in African
countries where the entire external genitalia is removed.
Internationally
FGM is recognized as violation of human rights against girls and women.
FGM is
widely practiced as a ritual in Africa, the Middle East and Asia but it is also
rife in some communities from practicing countries across the western world. Often
Bohra girls from diaspora communities are brought to India to be cut.
It is
estimated that about 200 million women and girls alive have been subjected to
some form of genital mutilation(GM) and 200 million more will undergo GM till
the year 2030.
Media courtesy: Sahiyo.com, Kolkata 24/7
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