FEMALE GENITAL CUTTING A Continuing Tradition
(Original Post on Imagining Equality Project Page, published in July 2014 by Global Fund for Women & International Museum of Women) In this deeply personal piece, author Mariya Taher wrestles with and speaks out against khatna, female genital cutting, a tradition practiced by her family community. Read her story and the stories of six other interviewees below. *** Having […]
Documentary ‘A Pinch of Skin’ highlights FGC in India
A Pinch of Skin, a short documentary made in 2012, depicts the practice of Female Genital Cutting, also known as khatna or sunnat by the Dawoodi Bohras in India. Screened worldwide, the film received the prestigious National Award of India for being the first documentary to highlight the taboo practice of khatna. The film brings […]
SIGN ANTI-FGC PETITION TODAY!
In 2011, an anonymous Bohra woman using the name ‘Tasleem’ made the first attempt to end the practice of female khatna through an online petition on Change.org. That petition was addressed to Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin and received less than 4,000 signatures. The Bohra community has come a long way since then. On December 1, […]
FAQs
WHAT IS FEMALE GENITAL CUTTING? Female genital cutting (FGC), or female genital mutilation (FGM), is the practice of removing parts or all of a woman’s external genitalia for various purposes. This could range from cutting the tip of the clitoris to removing the inner and outer labia, and in some communities, stitching the labia […]
In Australia, three Bohras found guilty for circumcising daughters
This November, for the first time in the history of the Dawoodi Bohra community, three of its members in Australia were held guilty for carrying out Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) on two minor girls. FGM has been a criminal offence in Australia since 1997, with a maximum punishment of seven years in prison. Australia were […]
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More News on FGC
Sahiyo in the News Press Release: Voices to End FGMC FGC in Dawoodi Bohra Community FGC in Asia: FGC in Asia and the Middle East Map Following our report, Facebook removes ‘Islamic Female Circumcision’ page promoting FGM Report on Female Genital Mutilation in Dagestan Sparks Controversy in Russia Factbox: The […]
Blog Posts
SAHIYO BLOG
A Little Piece of Skin
Nationality: USA Ethnicity: Indian (Gujarati) Author: Anonymous 30-year-old I was not more than seven years old when I recall going into a medical complex on a quiet Sunday afternoon accompanied by my mother and our family friend. My mother told me it was time for my “khatna” or circumcision. She explained it as a rite […]
Submissions
Blog Submissions We understand that there is power in numbers, so we are asking for submissions on the topic of female genital cutting (FGC). We recognize the importance of storytelling. For this reason, we strive to let people affected by FGC share their own narratives, in their own words, and in their own time. If […]