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There is concern about the proposed repeal of the ban FGM/C in The Gambia. FGM/C is a violence against women and girls, sexual assault and child abuse that poses serious risks to the health, well-being, and human rights of women and girls.
FGM/C has no health benefits; instead it poses immediate risks such as severe pain, shock, hemorrhage (bleeding), tetanus or sepsis (bacterial infection), urine retention as well as long-term consequences for sexual health and mental wellbeing.
According to the United Nations, an estimated 200 million girls and women worldwide have undergone some form of FGM/C, with more than three-quarters of females aged between 15 and 49.
The Gambia made significant strides when it banned FGM/C in 2015, joining over twenty other African countries that have outlawed this practice. However, recent developments suggest that there may be efforts to repeal this ban – a move that would be detrimental to the health and rights of countless women and girls.
The proposed bill, which aims to lift the ban on FGM/C in The Gambia, is a regressive step that threatens to undermine the progress made in protecting women and girls from this harmful practice. While proponents of the bill argue that FGM/C is a religious and cultural tradition, it is important to recognize that FGM/C is a form of violence against women and a violation of their human rights.