Bohra non-profit starts audio campaign to speak out against FGM

Masooma Ranalvi

We Speak Out, a non-profit organisation fighting for the rights of Dawoodi Bohra Muslims, has started an audio campaign against female genital mutilation (FGM), appealing to community members to speak about their experiences. Over the last month, it has received over 40 responses from both women and men from various parts of India and abroad on the controversial topic. The campaign is called 'My voice against khafz/FGM counts'. The audio posts are uploaded on the website www.wespeakout.org.

Anonymous responses
Masooma Ranalvi, convenor of We Speak Out, said 75 per cent of the community still practices it. "The campaign allows women who've undergone khatna to speak about their experience anonymously," said Ranalvi. She added that the campaign is open to everyone, not just members of the Bohra community. So far, the organisation has received 42 responses from India, Bahrain, the US and Canada. One of the responses came from a 72-year-old Bohra woman from Canada who spoke about how her husband and her mother-in-law tried to take her two daughters to undergo the practice without her consent. Members of the organisation said around 20 per cent of the responses came from men who supported the movement against FGM.

Hopes on PIL
Members of We Speak Out and similar organisations have their hopes pinned on the ongoing trial on the public interest litigation filed by Delhi-based advocate Sunita Tiwari in the SC, seeking a ban on FGM. "Khatna is illegal and unconstitutional. It will continue in India since there is no law here; I hope the government puts an end to it," she said.

Also read: Spiritual leader of Dawoodi Bohra community meets Devendra Fadnavis to discuss Bohri Mohalla

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