RETHINKING FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION: A HUMAN RIGHTS’ APPROACH

AUTHOR: S SRINIDHI, STUDENT AT SCHOOL OF LAW, CHRIST (DEEMED TO BE) UNIVERSITY

BEST CITATION – S SRINIDHI, RETHINKING FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION: A HUMAN RIGHTS’ APPROACH, INDIAN JOURNAL OF LEGAL REVIEW (IJLR), 4 (1) OF 2024, PG. 372-377, APIS – 3920 – 0001 & ISSN – 2583-2344.

ABSTRACT

Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is recognized globally as a grave violation of women’s and girls’ rights, involving the partial or total removal of external genitalia or other non-medical genital procedures. With over 200 million females affected and approximately 3.6 million at risk annually, FGM/C presents a pressing human rights concern. Drawing on the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, this paper examines the multifaceted dimensions of FGM/C and the imperative for human rights-based interventions. Through legal enforcement, empowerment-focused education, and community-driven campaigns, efforts to eradicate FGM/C strive to protect the fundamental rights and well-being of women and girls globally. This research contributes to the ongoing discourse on effective strategies for addressing FGM/C and underscores the urgency of concerted action to eliminate this harmful practice.