As we go on with our daily lives, right now somewhere in Asia, a girl is subjected to a procedure she did not choose, could not consent to and will carry the consequences for the rest of her life. An estimated 80 million women and girls across 12 countries in Asia have undergone Female Genital Mutilation (FGM/C). Yet, this remains one of the least discussed human rights violations in the region. This deeply unsettling reality is the result of our inability, or rather our unwillingness to talk about a larger issue of women’s bodily autonomy.It is time to break the silence. 

What exactly is FGM/C? 

At its core, FGM/C involves the altering, injuring or removing parts of the external female genitalia  for non medical reasons. Globally, it ranges from a minor cut or “nick” to the partial or complete removal of sensitive tissue. FGM/C is almost always performed on babies and young girls, those who cannot speak for themselves and is a fundamental violation of a child’s right to their own body.

The medical consequences are catastrophic. The World Health Organisation and Centre for Reproductive Rights have consistently confirmed that the practice has zero health benefits. Instead it leads to severe long-term complications, including: 

• Chronic physical pain and recurring infections
• Life threatening complications during childbirth, endangering both the mother and the baby
• Deep psychological trauma

In most cases, the procedure is  carried out using unsanitary instruments and by non-medical practitioners, compounding the physical risk. The harm is not incidental, it is inherent to the practice itself. 

Why does it continue? 

Understanding why FGM/C persists is not the same as eradicating it. But if we want to end it, we must understand the forces that sustain it.

The most significant driver is misinformation about  female anatomy, sexuality and cultural practices often attached to religious beliefs.  Although WHO has disproved any alleged health benefits from the practice, some religious leaders and even medical professionals have claimed health benefits for the practice. There have been reports of public health officials actively promoting FGM/C on the pretence that it causes no “severe harm”. This is factually wrong and deeply dangerous.

In communities where FGM/C is commmon, it is often a religious obligation, particularly within some muslim communities. FGM/C is often performed to curb a woman’s sex drive under the regressive notion that women are “impure”. In Sri Lanka, bodies such as the  All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU), have gone so far as to mandate the practice.  Families, particularly mothers, are caught in an impossible position; they  fear what it means for their child to be seen as an outsider within her own community. 

It is important to make the distinction that FGM/C has no basis in Islamic scripture. There is no reference to the practice in the Quran or Hadith. Prominent Islamic scholars and organisations, including the Muslim Council of Britain, have publicly and explicitly rejected the idea that FGM/C is religiously obligatory. The practice is not a religious requirement. It is a cultural one, sustained by those with the authority to enforce it. 

The situation in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has ratified key international human rights treaties, including the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) as well as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Both frameworks carry clear obligations to protect women and girls from harmful practices.

Yet, no national legislation specifically prohibits or criminalises FGM/C. The legal gap is not a technicality, it is room for violence. In its absence, proponents of the practice have continued with impunity, treating the silence of law as permission. 

This must change. 

Why silence itself is the problem

One of the greatest  obstacles to ending FGM/C across Asia is deceptively simple: we don’t talk about it enough, and we don’t know enough. 

Behind every statistic is a girl whose body is forever  altered without her consent, often before she was old enough to understand her own body,  yet, authorities still hesitate to intervene. 

For generations, conversations about women’s bodies have been pushed aside as private matters unfit for public discussion. That silence is often life threatening. It only protects the practice itself. 

Ending FGM/C also means confronting something uncomfortable: when communities push back against advocacy, framing it as western or foreign interference, that resistence must be engaged with honestly, and openess. Change from within communities is more durable than change imposed from outside. But that does not mean waiting indefinitely while girls continue to be harmed.

Discussion

As someone who belongs to the Muslim community, finding out that FGM/C was a common and normalized practice in Sri Lanka shook me. The fact that religion is being misinterpreted as a tool for violating women and children’s bodies angers me. Had it not been for the privilege of having parents who were educated enough to make the right decisions and stand up to stigma – that girl could have just as well been me. This is not the case for many survivors in Sri Lanka and across the globe. Women are afraid to speak out because of the environment that society,  that we,  have created. 

What needs to happen

Real progress on FGM/C requires action on several fronts simultaneously. 

Legislation matters. Sri Lanka needs a clear legal frameworks that criminalises FGM/C and gives authorities the mandate to act. 

Community engagement matters. Working with religious leaders, families and survivors to shift understanding from within is essential. The communities most affected must be part of shaping the response.

To learn more about FGM/C and its prevalence across South Asia, read our factsheet here.