Parliament considers a bill to lift the ban on female genital mutilation (FGM) from 4 March 2024. Some Gambian MPs believe that criminalizing the practice is an attack on cultural and religious freedom. However, the World Health Organisation highlights the serious health risks associated with the practice. Despite the ban imposed in 2015 by former president Yahya Jammeh, Gambia now considers that FGM should be decriminalised.
Defenders of women’s and girls’ rights call for a step backwards in Gambia. Since 4 March 2024, the West African country’s parliament has been deliberating on a bill to lift the ban on female genital mutilation. The Gambian imam Abdoullie Fatty, who supports the repeal of the law, has called for a massive national mobilisation to defend the practice of mutilation, which he says is permitted under Islam.
The Gambian constitution should prevail over any other law or protocol. The West should stop imposing problems on us that could create instability in this country. We cannot allow them to arrest and imprison our mothers and grandmothers for practicing their religious rights and cultural beliefs. Our position is therefore that the law must be repealed so that peace can reign in The Gambia.
Abdoullie FATTY, Imam
The criminalisation of female genital mutilation is a violation of citizens’ right to practise their culture and religion, according to some Gambian MPs. The practice has no beneficial effect on health and can lead to a number of serious medical problems, according to the World Health Organisation. The UN body attributes increased risks of haemorrhage, infection, HIV transmission and urinary retention to these practices.
The immediate consequences can be physical injuries, pain, wounds and bleeding, which can progress to hypovolaemic shock if not controlled, and can sometimes lead to death if the patient does not reach hospital in time. Most of the time, these mutilations are not carried out in sterile conditions.
Babading DAFFEH, Lawyer
Former president Yahya Jammeh banned female genital mutilation in 2015 and imposed heavy fines and prison sentences on its perpetrators. In doing so, Gambia signed up to the Maputo Protocol, ratified by the country on 25 May 2005. A second review of the bill to decriminalise FGM is scheduled for 18 March 2024 in the Gambian Parliament.