by Nurat Uthman
The Gambia’s parliament on Monday began examining a highly controversial bill on lifting a ban on female genital mutilation (FGM) in force since 2015.
The issue has divided Gambians for months, and a few dozen demonstrators gathered outside and inside the parliament seeking the lifting of the ban.
The bill says “female circumcision” is a deep rooted cultural and religious practice and that the ban infringes on the right to practice traditions.
But a number of civil society groups are urging the government to stand firm.
The UN childrens’ agency UNICEF said in a 2021 report that 76 percent of Gambian women aged between 15 and 49 had undergone genital mutilation.
The practice can lead to serious health problems, including infections, bleeding, infertility and complications in childbirth, and impairs sexual pleasure.
Lawmaker Almameh Gibba introduced the bill. The second reading was postponed to March 18.
It is unclear whether the bill will be adopted or how it would be enacted.
Former Gambian dictator Yahya Jammeh, now in exile, banned FGM in 2015, branding it outdated and not a requirement of Islam.
The overwhelming majority of the tiny West African nation is Muslim.
Parliament later that year adopted the first law specifically banning FGM, which is now punishable by up to three years in prison.
Between 2018 and 2021, only one case of genital mutilation was brought before a court and no convictions or sanctions were handed down, UNICEF said.
