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A PIL is being heard by the Supreme Court of India to ban the horrifying practice of Female Genital Mutilation, and the next date given is 16th July 2018.
The Supreme Court recently heard a PIL seeking a ban on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) practiced within the Dawoodi Bohra Community in India. The Court while listening to the petition stated that it was a violation of a woman’s bodily integrity if it was without her consent and hence a crime.
Though the petition states that this practise is an offence under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) 2012 and the Indian Penal Code, the Bohra community defended their stand by saying “there is a distinction between FGM and female circumcision. The latter is a minute process which is practised by 2 Islamic communities. It is being supported by 95% of the women.”
This is another example of how traditions are blindly followed in our country without giving a thought to the reason behind its origin. The theory behind this particular exercise is patriarchal and medieval. The clitoris part of the vagina is supposed to be only for the pleasure of the women. Since this pleasure could supposedly lead her on to ‘the path of sin’, it is cut off at a young age.
What is scary and dangerous is that untrained people carry out this procedure without any hygiene or necessary equipment. Due to this many girls get infections and face gynaecological issues later in their life, including infertility and complications in child birth. Needless to say intercourse is never a pleasurable experience for these women. Having undergone through such a physical torture so young in life also leaves many psychological scars on their impressionable minds.
There is now a network of survivors who have decided to come out with the trauma they underwent called ‘ WeSpeakOut’. They talk about how this practice negatively impacted their lives and try to educate others about it’s ill effects.
United Nations has declared this practice as a Human Rights Violation, and there are legislations or decrees against this practice in almost 33 countries. Due to this reason as well, India has become the hub for this practice. It is imperative that this practice be banned at the earliest to save many innocent lives from being maligned by this exercise in the name of religion and tradition.
This matter will be heard by Supreme Court on July 16th, 2018.
Image source: shutterstock
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