PESHAWAR – As the global campaign of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence begins on 25 November, public conversations once again centre on child marriage, domestic abuse, and sexual violence. Yet amid these urgent debates, one issue continues to be systematically erased: Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Pakistan.
This omission is neither accidental nor benign. It reflects a deeper unwillingness within state institutions, civil society networks, and donor frameworks to confront a practice that hides in plain sight.
A Hidden Practice and a Structural Silence
Despite the widespread perception that FGM is confined to parts of Africa or the Middle East, Female Genital Mutilation in Pakistan persists quietly within the Dawoodi Bohra community. It also likely affects marginalised groups such as the Sheedi, as well as immigrants from Iran and Iraq.
Its presence is known to survivors, whispered about within communities, and acknowledged by activists. Yet it remains absent from government-led GBV campaigns, even during the 16 Days of Activism. This silence is not simply oversight; it is a structural act of erasure.
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The consequences of this erasure are severe. It enables the continuation of Female Genital Mutilation in Pakistan, denies justice to survivors, and places future generations of girls at risk. In the absence of official data, the practice sinks further into invisibility. Medical professionals reportedly conduct it discreetly. Families often justify it as a rite of passage. Survivors, bound by fear, shame, and cultural expectations, rarely speak openly. This quiet continuation is possible because institutions have chosen not to see.
Pakistan’s policy commitments make the neglect more striking. The 2006 National Plan of Action for Children pledged to eliminate harmful traditional practices, including FGM, by 2010. Nearly two decades later, the promise exists only on paper.
There is still no national legislation criminalizing Female Genital Mutilation in Pakistan. No official surveys measure its prevalence, and the issue is not included in GBV frameworks, SRHR policies, or donor priorities. Religious sensitivities and political reluctance reinforce the barriers that prevent acknowledgement, especially when the practice occurs within minority communities the state hesitates to scrutinize.
FGM is an unequivocal human rights violation. It is gender-based violence and cannot be dismissed, minimized, or justified. Pakistan cannot credibly claim progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 5.3 or adherence to international conventions such as CEDAW or the CRC while ignoring Female Genital Mutilation in Pakistan.
Administrative silence is not neutrality. It is complicity.
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What Pakistan Must Do Next
The first step toward dismantling this complicity is recognition. The government must begin a national, representative survey to document the prevalence of FGM, the typical age at which it occurs, the procedures used, and the role of practitioners. Without data, the state will continue to hide behind uncertainty while the practice quietly continues.
Comprehensive legislation is equally urgent. Pakistan needs a law criminalizing all forms of Female Genital Mutilation in Pakistan, aligned with WHO classifications. The law must include clear definitions, penal consequences for practitioners, and protective mechanisms for girls at risk.
It must allow survivors to report the practice without fear of retaliation.
The Ministry of National Health Services should engage Bohra and Sheedi leaders to develop culturally sensitive awareness campaigns that confront myths and highlight the harms. Medical professionals must receive explicit warnings that involvement in FGM, whether in clinics or private spaces, can lead to disciplinary action, including licence cancellation.
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Another overlooked dimension is the protection of girls who resist FGM. In many communities, refusal leads to exclusion, verbal abuse, and coercion. Pakistan currently provides no legal safeguards for girls facing this pressure. Any serious response to Female Genital Mutilation in Pakistan must include secure reporting channels, psychosocial support, and protection protocols for at-risk children and whistleblowers.
The continued invisibility of the issue, especially during high-profile campaigns like the 16 Days of Activism, reinforces the conditions that allow the practice to continue. Female Genital Mutilation in Pakistan must be placed at the forefront of GBV and SRHR advocacy. Donors, civil society organizations, and government institutions must treat this form of violence with urgency. Avoidance is no longer defensible.
Silence is not a shield. It is complicity. To break the cycle, Pakistan must confront the reality it has long ignored. Bringing FGM out of the shadows is not only a policy imperative. It is a moral one..
Qamar Naseem is a human rights activist working for vulnerable communities.
