Women to launch campaign against FGM on February 6

A section of women from the Dawoodi Bohra community will conduct a campaign seeking to ban female genital mutilation (FGM) and raise awareness against the practice prevalent in the community.

The campaign will be launched online and promoted through SMS on February 6, which is observed as the International Day of Zero Tolerance against female genital mutilation.

"On February 5, we will release a groundbreaking study proving that FGM exists in India, and that it harms our girls and women. We have interviewed survivors and will make their ordeals public," said Masooma Ranalvi, convener of We Speak Out, a group of FGM survivors seeking to eliminate the practice.

The group has sent emails to people asking them to endorse the campaign.

"Recently, the Ministry of Women and Child Development stated there was no evidence of this despite hundreds of survivors coming forward to expose this practice. I think there is enough proof that it exists. The government cannot take such a stand. They have to first acquire data from the NCRB. They can do a study without revealing the identity of the survivors. There are a lot of people who are opposed to it and willing to talk about it. It is not impossible to get information," said Ranalvi.