The Gambia rejects attempt to legalise female genital mutilation again after religious pressure

Anti-FGM activist Jaha Marie Dukureh in front of The Gambia National Assembly in March. (@JahaENDFGM/X formerly Twitter)

• Religious groups tried to legalise female genital mutilation in The Gambia again.
• Its legislature this week struck down that attempt, in what it called a reaffirmation of the rights of women.
• The attempt was triggered by the prosecution of three women who had their fines paid by an Islamic leader.

The Gambian legislature upheld its ban on female genital mutilation (FGM) on Monday, despite heavy lobbying from conservative and religious groups.

In a statement, the country’s Ministry of Information said Parliament had rejected the Women’s (Amendment) Bill of 2023.

“None of the bill’s clauses were passed during the committee of the whole assembly stage.

“This vote reaffirms The Gambian government’s commitment to protecting the rights and well-being of women and girls throughout the country,” the government said.

It also vowed to continuously push for reforms that were gender conscious.

The UN office in the capital, Banjul, said the decision by Parliament would “safeguard bodily autonomy and human rights”. 

READ | Gambia’s attempt to unban female genital mutilation postponed for more consultation

FGM was banned in the country in 2015 under the presidency of Yahya Jammeh, but has been practiced illegally under the presidency of Adama Barrow.

About 73% of women and girls in The Gambia, between the ages of 15 and 49, have experienced FGM, according to UNICEF.

The attempt to legalise it was sparked by the prosecution of three women.

Mba-Yasin Fatty, 95, the circumciser, Nano Jalal, and Kaddijatou Jallow, the mothers of circumcised girls, were each ordered to pay a fine of 15 000 dalasis, the equivalent of about R4 300, or serve a year in jail after they were found guilty.

The maximum penalty for the crime is a fine equivalent to some R14 000, three years’ imprisonment, or both. If mutilation causes death, it can come with a life sentence.

READ | Rights groups say Gambia is in danger of legalising female genital mutilation

An Islamic religious leader, Imam Abdoulie Fatty, paid the fines, saying the campaign against FGM constituted an outright assault on Islam’s presence in The Gambia.

FGM is practiced in Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, as well as other African countries.

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