dr@anupdhir.com 
The religious world of a country where the divine feminine is a worshipped goddess still tends to question the freedom of women with their bodies. Among the most graphic manifestations of this paradox, one can list the silent, uncomfortable emergence of virginity testing in some areas of India, which are camouflaged with references to tradition but reverberate with vestiges of patriarchy and ignorance.
What does a Virginity Test Mean?
The virginity test usually consists of a physical examination of some sort, commonly the inaccurate and scientifically rebutted so-called two-fingers test, to ascertain whether the hymen of the woman is intact or not. It rests on the hazardous belief that the intact hymen is a gauge of virginity and that its breakage means sex.
The truth is that the hymen may rip under non-sexual activities such as sport, biking or even a tampon. There are even women born without one. Nonetheless, this unscientific tradition persists in spite of the condemnation of health organisations across the whole world; it is shielded by cultural practices, religious ceremonies and social embarrassment.
The act of virginity testing has reappeared in India in disturbing manners. The cases of bridal virginity tests occurred in recent times, especially in some communities, e.g., the Kanjarbhat caste community in Maharashtra. The wedding night in some of these groups turns out to be a test night where the virginity of a girl is judged by the status of the bedsheet, which should be bloody.
This is not superstition; this is social control. And it is traumatising.
Young activists of these communities have tried to force an end to the practice; however, it is met with opposition. In 2022, several newspapers featured the increasing instances of the humiliation, shaming or even divorce of the women who failed such tests.
The Legal and Medical Position on virginity testing is that the virginity test is against human rights. WHO (World Health Organisation) and the United Nations have pronounced it to be unscientific, unethical and abusive.
In India, the Supreme Court had prohibited the use of the two-finger test in rape cases and classified it as regressive and unconstitutional.
Yet, the practice is still being employed, especially in privately-operated contexts, families, and conventional arrangements, the scenes that the legal prism cannot extend to with ease. Even the doctors who conduct such tours face charges of professional misconduct, although it is not an easy task to interfere with the underground demand due to the ignorance and the inability to exert control.
A Myth Make-Over?
There is a more subtle translation of this pressure in India, where more and more women are seeking out hymenoplasty (surgery to reconstruct their hymen before getting married). There are those who do it because they want to; there are those who cannot help but do it because of fear, the fear of being judged, the fear of rejection, or the fear of something worse. Such decisions have an emotional cost, which can be discussed by cosmetic surgeons such as Dr. Anup Dhir, who is a long-time veteran. Although his clinic provides safe and confidential services to individuals who use his services, he preaches about informed consent and body autonomy, but not about coercion.
What is most troubling is that the silence that covers this problem is that the virginity testing is not a physical invasion, but it is psychological warfare. It shaves off the dignity, identity and choice of a woman. In a community where female value grows together with purity, their action can be a life-changing one.
However grudgingly, things are changing. The voice of young children is being heard. Women decide to narrate their stories. Health workers and campaigners are clamouring for a higher level of enforcement and awareness. To break the myth about virginity, workshops and campaigns are being conducted by NGOs.
Hence, the hymen is not what determines a woman. What drives her value is her choices, voice, and consent. The emergence of a virginity test in India is never a cultural phenomenon but an outrageous violation of a human right. And taking it apart needs not only legislation, but experience, knowledge, and most importantly, caring. We need to unmerge what was labelled pistyes about purity and rather educate our girls and boys about respect, consent and truth.
