SC questions female genital mutilation
News:
- Recently, the Supreme Court has questioned the practice of female genital mutilation in the Dawoodi Bohra community saying that it violates the bodily integrity and privacy of a girl child
Important Facts
- The Supreme Court has condemned the practice of female genital mutilation performed by some communities as a religious practice
- The Chief Justice of India has observed that the practice of genital mutilation is an offence under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenders (POSCO) Act
- Attorney General K.K Venugopal advocated that the practice of female genital mutilation should be punished with 7 years of imprisonment.
- However, advocate appearing for the Dwaoodi Bohra Women’s Association for Religious Freedom stated that circumcision as practiced in the community is not genital mutilation. Further it was an essential part of their religion and protected under the Constitution
