We must realise that there is an alternative to khatna
by Insia Jaliwala Age: 18 Country: India The experience of khatna, not only the actual act but the implications of the practice, was a gradual revelation for me. In the vague haze of childhood memories, that particular day stands out. I must have been around 6 or 7 years old. My parents told me I could […]
They told me they would call a ‘bhoot’ if I didn’t stop screaming
(First published on February 26, 2016) by Fatema Kabira Age: 19 Country: India Seven years old. I was seven years old when they forced me to have a part of my femininity cut off. I don’t remember much from my childhood. My memories are very vague. Yet, despite my poor memory, I clearly remember the […]
I will not support khatna even if my in-laws pressurise me
by Ummehani Age: 28 Country: India I was all of five and do not remember much. What I do remember is my mum and my sister taking me to some Aunty’s house on the pretext of meeting a relative. That unknown Aunty made me sleep on a soft table kind of a thing and asked me […]
I was spared from khatna because my Dadi happened to pass away
by Anonymous Age: 34 Country: India I came to know about the practice when I was seven years old, but all I knew was that khatna means removing something from your body. My two elder sisters have undergone khatna, but I was not cut. The reason for this is that my dadi (grandmother) passed away […]
I was cut, my daughter too, but it stops with my granddaughter
Age: 58 Country: India I was 7 years old when my grandmother told me that she is taking me out. I was so happy and dressed up quickly, expecting to be given some goodies. Instead, I was taken to the house of a strange lady who frightened me when she pinned me down. And after […]
Why this Bohra father is guilty about his daughter’s Khatna
(First published on May 5, 2016) Name: Yusuf Country: India The fatwa given during the Zikra majlis by Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin in favor of female genital cutting dug up the wound that exists in my heart which makes me write this post. Looking at parts from the audio clip leaked from the majlis, at one […]
Of tattoos, female circumcision and hypocrisy
by Azra Adenwala Age: 21 Country: United States / India (Read the Hindi translation of this article here.) I never truly thought about my khatna (circumcision) until a while ago when I came across the organization Sahiyo. To be honest, I had no idea what it meant in the first place. It was when I […]
When Sahyog gave Sahiyo an opportunity to engage with young students
by Aarefa JohariOn September 3, Sahiyo’s Mumbai team was invited to give a talk to college students enrolled in the Pehchaan programme run by Sahyog, a reputed non-profit organisation providing support to women and children from marginalised communities. Sahyog’s ‘Pehchaan’ initiative offers skills-training and mentorship programmes to students from low-income families at the PN Doshi […]
“You have no right over your body.” Things khatna supporters have told me
By: Saleha Paatwala Age: 23 Country: India After watching ‘Reflecting Her’ (a film on FGC) that gave me strength to fight, it has now been six months since I set out on this mission to end the hazardous practice of Khatna. In these months, I have had discussions with numerous individuals including my relatives, some […]
A brief report on Sahiyo’s media workshop on khatna among Bohras
On August 8, 2016, Sahiyo conducted its first media training workshop at The Press Club in Mumbai. The workshop was held in partnership with the International Association of Women in Radio and Television (IAWRT), and its objective was to train journalists on how to sensitively and effectively report on the practice of Female Genital Cutting […]