Female genital mutilation/cutting found in Kerala, new research shows

New study on FGM/C in Kerala calls for a law banning the practice in India, survivor-centred support, and national data to measure the scale of the problem. 

Thiruvananthapuram, India, July 9, 2026: Women from a section of Kerala’s Sunni Muslim community have shared their experiences of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), describing the damaging impacts and the intense social pressure faced by those who challenge it. Their testimonies are documented in a new study by survivor-led organisation WeSpeakOut, which is calling for India to introduce a law explicitly banning FGM/C and to increase investment in community-led efforts to end this harmful practice.

The report, Understanding Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: Community Perspectives and Pathways to Change in Kerala, draws on in-depth interviews with nine survivors from the Nedumangad area in the state’s Thiruvananthapuram district.

Researcher Nevin Sulthan explained, “Female genital mutilation/ cutting in Kerala has stayed hidden for a long time, simply because no one had asked the right questions. These nine women are proof that survivors are ready to speak, and that listening to them is the first step toward change”.

Female genital mutilation/cutting in Kerala

In some Sunni Muslim communities in Kerala, FGM/C is a traditional religious ritual commonly performed on infant girls within forty days following birth. In Malayalam, the principal language of Kerala, the practice is commonly referred to as “sunnath” or “pen sunnath”, meaning “circumcision” and “female circumcision”.

Survivors spoke about strong pressure on young women to have their children cut. Two mothers described how their daughters underwent FGM/C without their prior knowledge or consent, one recounting, “Sunnath was done to my daughter. I came to know about it after the procedure. I was not even informed”.

Interviewees reported having minimal power in decision-making, which is often dominated by fathers before marriage and by husbands and mothers-in-law afterwards. This is compounded by women’s limited financial independence due to early marriage, lack of access to education, and primary caregiving responsibilities.

Survivors said the taboo around women’s sexuality makes the issue of FGM/C difficult to raise. As one put it, “If we have a health concern, we can talk about it and get treatment. But when it is something about our sexual desire, we cannot tell anyone; society will judge us”.

Another described the long-term impact on marriages, “Women lose interest in sex after one or two childbirths. It has destroyed many lives, and many men left and married other women because of this disinterest”.

Medicalisation of FCM/C in Kerala’s private healthcare clinics

Traditionally, FGM/C in Kerala was conducted alongside a hair-removal ceremony performed by Osathis, who are women from the barber community. Research by WeSpeakOut identifies how this is changing, with survivors reporting how FGM/C is being provided by private healthcare clinics. This medicalisation risks ending a veneer of clinical legitimacy at odds with the lasting physical and psychological harms caused.

The occurrence of FGM/C in Kerala first came to public attention in 2017, when a report by Sahiyo revealed two doctors at a clinic in the city of Kozhikode admitted performing ‘sunnath’ on Muslim sect members requesting it for themselves, their daughters, or daughters-in-law. A subsequent undercover investigation by Mathrubhumi, a Malayalam newspaper, confirmed these findings.

The Kerala chapter of the Indian Medical Association responded by publicly condemning the practice, and the Health Minister ordered Kozhikode’s health authorities to investigate and provide a report. That clinic was closed and their license was cancelled and the government declared that any facility or physician discovered performing FGM/C would face punishment.

All questions raised in Parliament about FGM/C have come from representatives from Kerala. However, a law prohibiting FGM/C has not been introduced.

India’s legal gap leaves survivors without protection against FGM/C 

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in 2017 asking the Court to direct the Indian government to ensure prosecution under existing criminal provisions and to introduce legislation specifically banning FGM/C on constitutional grounds that it violates women’s rights to equality, privacy, and personal liberty.

The case has been referred to the Supreme Court, with a nine-judge Constitution Bench due to consider this PIL alongside a batch of other cases raising constitutional questions about the relationship between religious practice, gender equality, and fundamental human rights. The Court’s decision is expected to have far-reaching implications for efforts to strengthen legal protections against FGM/C.

On 7 May 2026, an oral observation shared by the Bench signalled that FGM/C may fall outside the protection of the constitutional right to freedom of religion on public health and morality grounds. A final ruling is still pending.

India needs stronger legal protections and national data on FGM/C  

FGM/C is internationally recognised as a serious human rights violation involving the partial or complete removal of external female genitalia for non-medical reasons. Research by Equality Now has identified evidence of FGM/C in at least 94 countries in a diverse range of communities, cultures, and religions.

UNICEF estimates over 80 million women and girls have undergone FGM/C in Asia, but only Indonesia and the Maldives publish national-level FGM/C prevalence data. However, research and survivor testimonies indicate it occurs in Brunei, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Thailand

In India, FGM/C has primarily been documented within the Dawoodi Bohra community, with a prevalence rate of 75 to 80 per cent. However, the Indian government does not provide national data on FGM/C, so comprehensive information about the number of women and girls directly affected is unavailable.

Masooma Ranalvi, founder of WeSpeakOut, is a formal intervenor in the Supreme Court case. She explains, “India needs to introduce a law that explicitly prohibits FGM/C and protects women and girls from this harmful practice. We also urge the government to conduct state-level and national studies to reveal the true scale of FGM/C, as this information is essential for designing interventions and evaluating their effectiveness”.

WeSpeakOut, Equality Now, and Sahiyo are collaborating along with activists in Kerala to end FGM/C in India. Divya Srinivasan from Equality Now concludes, “The women who shared their experiences and insights in this study have shown impressive courage, and their voices must be at the heart of India’s response.

“Ending FGM/C requires a holistic, survivor-centred approach that begins with an honest assessment of the practice and combines stronger legal protections with community engagement, public education, accessible support services, and sustained collaboration between survivors, government, civil society, healthcare providers, and community leaders”.

Notes to editors:

For media requests, please contact:

Aakansha Saxena, Equality Now, asaxena@equalitynow.org
Masooma Ranalvi, WeSpeakOut, formasooma@gmail.com

WeSpeakOut is a survivor-led advocacy platform working to end female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), known within affected communities as khatna or khafz. It brings together survivors, activists and supporters campaigning for the practice to be banned and eliminated, and for equal rights for survivors.

WeSpeakOut collects and shares survivor testimony, including through initiatives such as ‘My Voice Against Khafz/FGM’, which gives people a way to speak out against the practice, anonymously if needed. It also contributes to drafting legal reforms to prohibit FGM/C in India and works to open dialogue within practising communities, where fear of social backlash often keeps survivors and dissenting voices silent.

For more details, go to www.wespeakout.org, Instagram and Facebook: @speakoutonfgm

Equality Now is a worldwide human rights organisation dedicated to securing the legal and systemic change needed to end discrimination against all women and girls. Since its inception in 1992, it has played a role in reforming 120 discriminatory laws globally, positively impacting the lives of hundreds of millions of women and girls, their communities and nations, both now and for generations to come.

Working with partners at national, regional and global levels, Equality Now draws on deep legal expertise and a diverse range of social, political and cultural perspectives to continue to lead the way in steering, shaping and driving the change needed to achieve enduring gender equality, to the benefit of all.

For more details, go to www.equalitynow.org, Bluesky equalitynow.bsky.social, Facebook @equalitynoworg, Instagram @equalitynoworg, and LinkedIn Equality Now Asia.