Gambia postpones move to reverse ban on female genital mutilation

The decision to possibly overturn a ban in Gambia on female genital mutilation (FGM) has been postponed after lawmakers called for further consultations, on Monday (Mar 18). This comes as the Gambian members of parliament debated whether to repeal the ban on the procedure, which according to the World Health Organization (WHO), has no health benefits.

Why overturn the ban?

FGM was outlawed by the small West African nation eight years ago and it is currently punishable by up to three years of imprisonment and hefty fines.

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The bill to overturn this ban was introduced earlier this month by lawmaker Almameh Gibba arguing that it violates the citizens’ right to practice their culture and religion.

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Gibba said that overturning the ban would “uphold religious loyalty and safeguard cultural norms and values”. If passed, Gambia would become the first country to reverse a ban on FGM.

Following the debate, the lawmakers voted by 42 to four to send it to a parliamentary committee for review. The committee can make amendments to the bill and is expected to send it to the national assembly to be voted on. This is a routine process which takes at least three months.

Hundreds of peopleprotested outside parliament on Monday withmost of them supporting a repeal of the ban, reported AFP.

Anti-FGM groups in Gambia, an overwhelmingly Muslim country, have argued that the move will undo years of work. Additionally, opponents of the ban have said that the practice does not have any basis in the Quran.

According to the WHO, FGM can lead to excessive bleeding, shock, psychological problems and in some cases can be fatal.

Concerns about overturning the ban

Jaha Dukureh, the founder of Safe Hands for Girls, an anti-FGM group said, “It was the most heartbreaking thing to watch men invalidate our experiences and reduce our pain to western influence.” However, she remains confident that the bill will be voted down.

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Equality Now, an advocacy group, highlighted the importance of the ban noting that more than half of the 92 countries where FGM is practised have laws against it.

“If the law is reversed in Gambia, there is a risk that the advocacy efforts in subsequent countries...will fail or go back,” said Caroline Lagat, a programme officer at Equality Now, as quoted by Reuters.

The number of women and girls who have undergone FGM worldwide has risen to 230 million from 200 million eight years ago, reported UNICEF, earlier this month.

FGM includes partial or full removal of external genitalia. The procedure is often reportedly carried out by traditional community practitioners with tools such as razor blades and sometimes by healthcare workers.

(With inputs from agencies)