Swati Baranwal, Advocate, HC of Delhi
Bableen Kaur, L.L.M., SRMU, Lucknow
Chapter 1: Introduction
Introduction
Female Genital Mutilation (hereafter referred to as “FGM”), also known as “female genital cutting”, denotes all non-medical techniques involving partial or whole removal of the external female genitalia or other damages to the female genital organs. It is assessed that between 100 and 140 million females across the world have gone through such operations, with an additional 3 million girls at risk of receiving the procedures every yr.. FGM has been documented in many areas of the world, although it is most common in Africa’s western, eastern, and north-eastern regions, several Asian and Middle Eastern nations, and some immigrant populations in North America and Europe.1
There are no recognized health advantages to FGM. In contrast, it is widely acknowledged to be damaging to girls and women in several ways. It is, most importantly, painful and distressing. The removal or destruction of healthy, normal vaginal tissue interferes with the body’s natural functioning and has several immediate and long-term health effects. Kids born to mothers who have undergone FGM, for example, have a greater incidence of newborn mortality than babies born to women who have not experienced the operation.
FGM is practiced by communities for several social and religious reasons. From an HRs standpoint, the custom indicates innate gender inequality and is an extremist form of discrimination against women. FGM is almost always performed on minors, constituting a violation of the child’s rights. The process also breaches the person’s rights to health, security, and bodily integrity, as well as the right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, and the right to life when it results in death.
The WHO defines FGM as - “any procedure that involves partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for cultural or nontherapeutic reasons”. The practice of FGM is divided into 4 major types:2
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