Lawmakers in The Gambia have decisively rejected a proposed bill aimed at reversing the country’s ban on female genital mutilation (FGM).
Speaker of Parliament Fabakary Tombong Jatta announced that a majority of Members of Parliament voted against the bill, preventing it from progressing to its final reading scheduled later this month.
The bill, introduced in March following pressure from some Muslim clerics, faced strong opposition from human rights groups and the United Nations, who urged MPs to uphold the existing ban. The Gambia ranks among the top 10 countries globally with the highest rates of FGM, affecting 73% of women and girls aged 15 to 49.
Proposed by Almameh Gibba, the draft law was comprehensively rejected as MPs voted down all its clauses. Speaker Jatta confirmed that the legislative process had concluded with the bill’s rejection, preventing any further consideration.
Initially, the bill had gained early approval from a majority of MPs, sparking concerns among activists and international bodies that The Gambia might become the first country to rescind a ban on FGM. The practice, which ranges in severity from clitoral removal to complete genital closure, is outlawed in over 70 countries globally, including The Gambia since 2015.
The 2015 legislation imposed penalties including fines and jail terms up to three years for perpetrators, with life imprisonment possible if a girl’s death resulted from the procedure. Rights groups, including ActionAid, emphasised that lifting the ban would undermine progress in combating violence against women and girls in The Gambia.
“We campaigned tirelessly to achieve the ban and end FGM/C,” remarked Binta Ceesay, women’s rights manager at ActionAid Gambia, underscoring the global effort to eradicate the practice affecting over 230 million women and girls worldwide, according to the UN.
