FGM before the Indian Supreme Court
By: Koen Van den Brande Age: 55Country: India It was to be expected… The Indian Supreme Court has been asked to look at the practice of ‘khatna’ – commonly known as FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) as a result of a Public Interest Litigation filed by Sunita Tiwari, a Delhi based advocate. There was a time, […]
Despite backlash, Sahiyo will continue to work with the community
The World Health Organization (WHO)’s guidelines on the management of health complications from female genital mutilation/cutting states that the “involvement of health-care providers in performing FGM is likely to confer a sense of legitimacy on the practice and could give the impression that the procedure is good for women’s health, or at least that it […]
Why do Dawoodi Bohras practice Khatna, or Female Genital Cutting?
by Aarefa Johari What is the real purpose behind Khatna for girls? The Dawoodi Bohra community has been practicing this hidden ritual of female circumcision, also known as Female Genital Cutting (FGC), for centuries, with no public discussion on its need. It is only in the past year that the Bohra leadership has finally spoken […]
The Detroit doctor arrests are an opportunity to talk about Khatna
By: Anonymous Age: 33Country: Pune, India Even though I clearly remember when ‘khatna’ was performed on me, it wasn’t until I was a teenager that I first started to question this practice within the Dawoodi Bohra community. It always felt wrong, but if my mother, sister, and seemingly everyone else in the community embraced it, […]
A letter to Syedna, by a Bohra woman
(Editor’s note – The courageous woman who shared this letter would like it to be known that sahiyo’s platform was the official outlet for her letter.) By: Anonymous Country of Residence: United States To Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin, We are the ones who showed up. We are the ones who wore the right thing, said the […]
FGM and the myth of modernity among Dawoodi Bohras
By: Anonymous Age: 33Country of birth: IndiaCountry of current residence: USA I am a male born into a Dawoodi Bohra family. My brother and I had remarkably normal upbringings in the United States. We were members of one of the more secular congregations in the in the US. My parents always pointed out to me […]
We must find culturally sensitive methods to end FGC and protect girls from further trauma
Picture an innocent, 7-year-old girl being led to an unfamiliar room. She is made to lie down, her underpants are removed, and a piece of her is cut away; familiar hands around her upholding an age-old tradition. Perhaps she is in pain. Perhaps she is not. She might feel betrayed, scared, angry, or upset. She […]
Female Genital Cutting: Religion has nothing to do with it
By: Anonymous Country: United States Age: 34 Around the age of seven, unbeknownst to me at the time, extended family members asked my parents when they would be taking me to have khatna done. In the country we lived in at the time, it was the norm for girls in our community to get it […]
FGM/C is neither beneficial nor relevant to modern times. Let’s end it
By Ali Asghar Akhtar Country: Canada Age: 33 I recently came to know about something very prehistoric (I am not being overdramatic, it was truly shocking for me). We are living in a digital, global, mobilized world where everyday living dynamics are being challenged and improved. Changes in technology, social norms, cultures, historic traditions and […]
FGC in the United States
2026 CT House Gop, Rep. Klarides-Ditria, Advocates Call for End to FGM/C in Connecticut 2025 2024 LA Times, Dozens of patients file suit against former OB-GYN and Cedars-Sinai, alleging misconduct AOL, Upgraded charges in child torture case Equality Now, Implementing Survivor-Led FGM Law In Washington State KUOW, Coalition against female genital mutilation supports victims […]