Costa Rica Urges India To Acknowledge The Existence Of Female Genital Mutilation And Criminalise It. Finally, We Are Talking About It!
There are a lot of practices taking place in India which stand in the way of women’s empowerment. And no, I’m not just talking about killing the girl child as soon as she is born. I’m also talking about FGM – female genital mutilation. Most people, including our government, are not aware of this illegal practice nor are they aware of what it even means. And I believe, that is one of the reasons why the government hasn’t taken any action to eradicate this. But now, after evaluating India’s human rights records, the diplomatic mission of Costa Rica has asked to acknowledge the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) and take steps to eradicate it.
At the Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) Working Group in Geneva, India’s human rights record was assessed and it is during that time Costa Rica’s diplomatic mission made a recommendation to India to acknowledge the presence of female genital mutilation (FGM) and urged the government to devise a plan to address the issue.
The diplomatic mission of Costa Rica recommended that India legally adopt the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) definition of FGM which includes, “all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.”
Also Read: In Kenya, Someone Put A Petition Against The Female Genital Mutilation Ban. The Judge Dismissed It
As per reports, Costa Rica also recommended that the Indian government criminalise the practice of FGM and come up with a national plan to eradicate this practice. This recommendation is historic as it brought the issue to international attention and pushed the Indian government to acknowledge that such a practice is taking place within the nation’s borders.
FGM – female genital mutilation is a lesser-known illegal practice that is taking place in the country for a while now. And this recommendation just brought this issue to the forefront. I really hope that now, the Indian government will take measures to ensure that this practice is discontinued.
