Equality Now welcomes Chief Justice of India’s acknowledgment of female genital mutilation in India

New Delhi, India, October 15, 2025: Equality Now welcomes comments by the Chief Justice of India, B. R. Gavai, who expressed deep concern that, despite constitutional and legal guarantees, many girls in India suffer violations of their fundamental rights, which increases their vulnerability to a range of harms, including female genital mutilation (FGM). 

The Chief Justice’s comment on October 11, 2025, about FGM is especially important in light of a pending Public Interest Litigation before a nine-judge Supreme Court bench, challenging the constitutionality of the practice being permitted in India. 

FGM in India: A serious human rights violation

FGM is internationally recognised as a serious human rights violation involving the partial or complete removal of external female genitalia for non-medical reasons. It is rooted in gender inequality and attempts to control women’s and girls’ bodies and sexuality.

In India, FGM is performed on young girls and infants. Evidence shows it is practised in Bohra communities as well as by some other groups, such as amongst some Sunni Muslims in southern Kerala.

Calls for legal reform and government data on FGM

Despite repeated questions raised in Parliament by MPs seeking the government’s response to FGM, and survivor-led studies by organisations like WeSpeakOut and Sahiyo providing crucial evidence of the practice within India, the government has yet to enact a law explicitly banning FGM. 

Nor has the government commissioned a much-needed, large-scale government-led survey to measure how widespread the practice of FGM is. This lack of national data means the true scale and nature of FGM in India remain unclear, making it harder to design effective responses or secure the investment needed for prevention and protection. 

Reliable, comprehensive data is essential for effective action, as it can identify where and how FGM occurs, underpin the implementation of policies and support services, and measure the impact of interventions.

Julie Thekkudan, Equality Now’s South Asia Consultant, says, “The Chief Justice of India’s acknowledgment of FGM in India marks a turning point and a vital opportunity for the government to take decisive national action by introducing a clear law that explicitly prohibits this harmful practice and ensuring survivors have access to justice and essential support services.”

“We urge the Government of India to conduct a comprehensive, government-led national survey on female genital mutilation and make the results publicly available. Transparent, reliable data is essential to understanding where and how FGM occurs, guiding evidence-based policymaking, and strengthening protection for girls.”

Medicalisation of FGM in India

A particular area of concern is the increasing medicalisation in India, which Equality Now and our partners have documented, including in our new policy brief, Medicalisation of Female Genital Mutilation in South and South East Asia. We are working alongside local activists, survivors, and medical associations to challenge this trend.

Thekkudan explains, “Equality Now calls on the Indian government to address the growing problem of FGM being performed by healthcare professionals. The medicalisation of FGM does not make the practice safe or acceptable — it legitimises harm, violates medical ethics, and is condemned under international law. Health authorities must take firm action to prohibit medical practitioners from carrying out FGM and ensure the medical community plays a proactive role in prevention.”

India’s opportunity to take a lead on ending FGM

Thekkudan concludes, “India has the potential to lead the region in ending FGM by showing that girls’ rights are non-negotiable. With evidence-based policymaking, legal accountability, and strong community collaboration, India can become a model for how countries can fulfil their human rights commitments and achieve the global goal of eliminating FGM by 2030.”

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Notes to editors: 

For media enquiries, contact Aakansha Saxena, Equality Now’s Global Communications Lead on Ending Harmful Practices, E: asaxena@equalitynow.org; M: +91 9160728580 

For more information about FGM in India, please see a short film produced by Equality Now, ‘The Beginning’ 

And for more details about FGM around the world, see Equality Now’s 2025 report, The Time Is Now: End Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting, An Urgent Need for a Global Response – Five Year Update