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Reuters

Gambian lawmakers on Monday debated whether to repeal a ban on female genital mutilation, which has been on the rise in recent years despite activist campaigns to end the practice.
The small West African nation imposed steep fines and jail sentences in 2015 for those who carry out female circumcision, known by the acronym FGM.
The World Health Organization says the practice has no health benefits and can lead to excessive bleeding, shock, psychological problems and even death.
Lawmaker Almameh Gibba presented the repeal bill earlier this month, arguing the ban violates citizens’ rights to practice their culture and religion. Gambia is an overwhelmingly Muslim country.

If the bill is passed, Gambia would become the first country to reverse a ban on FGM.
After debating the bill, the lawmakers voted by 42 to four to send it to a parliamentary committee for review, the parliament’s speaker said.
Can female genital mutilation ever end if the issue remains taboo to discuss?
The committee can make amendments to the bill and is expected to send it back to the national assembly for a vote, a routine procedure which usually takes at least three months.
The number of women and girls who have undergone FGM worldwide has increased to 230 million from 200 million eight years ago, the United Nations Children’s Fund reported earlier this month.
It said the largest share of those women and girls were found in African countries, with over 144 million cases, followed by over 80 million in Asia and over 6 million in the Middle East.
Advocacy group Equality Now said criminalisation was a crucial step in the fight against female circumcision, though it noted that more than half of the 92 countries where FGM is practised have laws banning it.
The prevalence of FGM among girls in Gambia has fallen precipitously since its ban was enacted, according to UN figures.
“If the law is reversed in Gambia, there is a risk that the advocacy efforts in subsequent countries ... will fail or go back,” said Caroline Lagat, a programme officer at Equality Now.


Gambia’s ban, adopted under autocratic ex-president Yahya Jammeh, has faced pushback, particularly since President Adama Barrow came to power in 2017.
Three women were fined last August for carrying out FGM on eight infant girls, becoming the first people convicted under the law.
Gambia’s Supreme Islamic Council responded to the verdict by saying female circumcision was one of the virtues of Islam.
‘New sensations’: Egypt clinic helps women scarred by genital mutilation
Members of parliament have come out both in favour of and against the bill.
Jaha Dukureh, an anti-FGM campaigner in Gambia, said she was confident the bill would be voted down but that activists like herself faced an uphill battle.
Michèle Eken, a senior researcher at Amnesty International in Dakar, said reversing the ban on FGM would set a worrisome precedent.
“It will simply will be disastrous for women’s rights, not only in Gambia, but in the region,” she said. “If this is passed, then what’s next?”


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Women and gender

Gambia parliament debates bill to reverse ban on female genital mutilation

Protesters against female genital mutilation, outside the National Assembly in Banjul, Gambia. Photo: AFP

The issue has divided the tiny West African nation for months. Photo: AFP

Can Pakistan and India ever end female genital mutilation if issue remains taboo?

Women in Pakistan, where there are no national statistics or government efforts to counter the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM). Photo: AFP

Muslim women offer prayers at a mosque in Lahore, Pakistan. Photo: AFP

A doctor uses an illustration on a phone to describe clitoral reconstruction surgery at the “Restore FGM” clinic in Cairo, Egypt, in June. Female genital mutilation happens around the world. Photo: AFP 

A child eats at a school in Somalia in 2022. The nation has one of the highest rates of female genital mutilation in the world, with 99 per cent of women aged 15-49 having been cut. Photo: AP

Members of India’s Dawoodi Bohra community during the 2014 funeral procession of their spiritual leader Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, 98, in Mumbai. Photo: EPA

Egypt clinic helps women reclaim bodies scarred by genital mutilation

Dr Reham Awwad uses an illustration on a phone to describe clitoral reconstruction surgery at the Restore FGM clinic in Cairo. In Egypt, 86 per cent of ever-married women aged 15 to 49 have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM). Photo: AFP

Kenyan Maasai women arrive for a meeting dedicated to the practice of female genital mutilation; the practice is still common in many African countries and beyond. Photo: AFP

Tears are wiped from the face of a nine-month-old after her circumcision – a ritual the World Health Organization has deemed unnecessary and condemns such practices. Photo Handout

Female genital mutilation in Singapore: a Muslim rite that the UN deems a human rights violation

Female genital mutilation continues in Singapore, despite being condemned as a human rights violation by the UN. Photo: Shutterstock

Miranda Dobson, senior communications manager at the Orchid Project, CREDIT: Orchid Project,

Singapore

[UNVERIFIED CONTENT] Located on Dunlop Street, in Little India, Singapore, is the Masjid Abdul Gaffoor (Malay) for the Abdul Gaffoor Mosque. A Muslim girl walks in front of the mosque with its traditional Islamic architecture. Taken February 4, 2012. Qur'an, Muslim, Islam, Religion, Faith, Prayer, Belief, People, Spirituality, Built Structure, City, Architecture, Vertical, Full Length, Outdoors, Side View, Singapore, Walking, Day, Color Image, Building Exterior, Low Angle ViewCREDIT: GETTY IMAGES

The Green Mosque.  Muslim man reading an Arabic Holy Quran (Koran).  Singapore.  (Photo by: Godong/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES

Handout image of Saza Faradilla. One Singaporean who speaks openly about her story, Saza Faradilla, only found out as an adult that she had been cut as a child.CREDIT: Saza Faradilla

Female genital mutilation continues in Singapore. It is regarded as a necessary religious rite by some and a violation of human rights by others. Photo: Getty Images

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India halts cough syrup production at factory linked to Gambia deaths

Indian authorities halted production of cough syrup at a factory of Maiden Pharmaceuticals, after a WHO report that the medicine may be linked to the deaths of dozens of children in Gambia. Photo: AFP/File

Mariama Kuyateh, 30, holds up a picture of her late son Musawho died from acute kidney failure. Gambian police announced an investigation into four cough syrups made by Indian Pharma company Maiden Pharmaceuticals, after the WHO said they could be responsible for the deaths of 66 Gambian children. Photo: AFP

Indian authorities are investigating cough syrups made by a local pharmaceutical company after the World Health Organization said they could be responsible for the deaths of 66 children in Gambia. Photo: AFP/File

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World

Africa

Gambia lawmakers refer debate on female genital mutilation to more committee discussions
If bill is passed, Gambia would become the first country to reverse a ban on female circumcision


If the controversial bill is passed, Gambia would become the first country to reverse a ban on female circumcision.


Human rights

Gender

Religion

Gambia

Gambia parliament debates bill to reverse ban on female genital mutilation

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Gambia lawmakers refer debate on female genital mutilation to more committee discussions If bill is passed, Gambia would become the first country to reverse a ban on female circumcision

Gambia lawmakers refer debate on female genital mutilation to more committee discussions

If bill is passed, Gambia would become the first country to reverse a ban on female circumcision