Gambian police have charged three women in connection with the death of a one-month-old girl who underwent female genital mutilation (FGM), a practice that remains widespread in The Gambia despite a decade-old ban. The women were charged under the Women’s (Amendment) Act of 2015, which criminalizes FGM.
One woman faces life imprisonment and has been remanded in custody, while the other two were charged as accomplices and granted bail.
Emmanuel Joof, chair of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), described the incident as a “national wake-up call,” emphasizing that FGM is a criminal offense and human rights violation that can be deadly.
The NHRC stated that no cultural or traditional justification should override the obligation to protect children from harm.
This case highlights the ongoing struggle to enforce the FGM ban in The Gambia, where lawmakers rejected a bill last year that would have lifted the ban, making it the first country to reverse a national ban on the practice.
