- In Gambia, two opposing sides clash over whether to repeal or keep an existing FGM ban.
- This contest pits influential Muslim clerics, who are supporting a new bill seeking to repeal a 2015 law that banned FGM, against women rights activists.
- The Supreme Islamic Council of the Gambia has already issued a strong condemnation of anyone who denounces FGM.
The Gambia, one of the smallest countries in Africa, has been thrust into the global limelight as two opposing sides clash over whether to repeal or keep an existing FGM ban.
This contest pits influential Muslim clerics, who are supporting a new bill seeking to repeal a 2015 law that banned female genital mutilation (FGM) against women rights activists, who seek to have the law stay in place.
In the last week, supporters of the cut have thronged the country’s streets seeking the lifting FGM ban, which has been in place since 2015 during the presidency of Yahya Jammeh.
The Supreme Islamic Council of the Gambia has already issued a strong condemnation of anyone who denounces FGM while asking the government to repeal the Women’s (Amendment) Act 2015.
In Gambia, a West African country of roughly three million people who are largely Muslim, FGM is a practice that targets girls as young as five years. Reports show that perpetrators use crude tools such as razors, a move that has been attributed to cruel deaths due to excessive bleeding as well as health-threatening complications for the affected women during childbirth.
According to the AP, there are fears that the laws safeguarding women rights could be repealed in the country, as groups mount pressure demanding FGM be legalised. AP says Jaha Dukureh, the founder of Safe Hands for Girls, an entity that seeks to end FGM in Gambia, underwent the cut and had the unfortunate experience of watching her sister bleed to death due to the cut.
“If they succeed with this repeal, we know that they might come after the child marriage law and even the domestic violence law. This is not about religion but the cycle of controlling women and their bodies,” Jaha Dukureh said.
The latest data from the UN shows that over half of women in Gambia between the ages 15 and 49 have undergone FGM.
The cut a persistent challenge despite FGM ban in the Gambia
FGM, a ritualistic practice that involves the partial cut and removal of the female genitalia for non-medical reasons continues to pose a challenge in many countries including Gambia. Globally, FGM is recognised as a breach of human rights, a form of gender-based violence, and as a practice that drives up discrimination against women.
For countries where the practice is prevalent such as Gambia, FGM is rooted in cultural, religious and social understandings where the perpetrators cite tradition, rites of passage, or other myths bordering modesty, purity, and a nod for girls to enter marital life.
The Gambia’s Female Lawyers Association head Anna Njie said that repeal will reverse the progress realised so far. “We have no authority to tell the National Assembly what to do, but we have rights reserved in the constitution to take legal action when certain fundamental rights are violated,” she told the Standard in the Gambia.
In contrast, religious conservatives are saying that the proposed law “seeks to uphold religious purity and safeguard cultural norms and values.” Leaders in Gambia’s Islamic organisation have labeled FGM “one of the virtues of Islam.”
Data shows that Gambia has one of the highest FGM rates across Africa. Gambian women and girls are subjected to the practice often performed by traditional practitioners. However, in the last 10 years, The Gambia has made good strides in eradicating FGM.
The country’s landmark decision came in 2015 when the government outlawed the harmful practice. The law banning FGM in the country places stiff penalties on those who perform the cut or are found to have been accomplices in its perpetuation. Since its enactment, however, only a handful of people have been found guilty.
Law enforcers in the country have found it difficult to enforce the regulation, especially in certain communities where the FGM is a deeply entrenched cultural norm. Over the years, NGOs, activists, and international organisations have been critical in raising awareness about the dangers of FGM and calling for change.
These civil education programmes have been targeting men and women to change the inherent myths around FGM while also highlighting the health risks posed by the practice.
As Africa awaits to see whether Gambia’s parliament, which is made up of 58 lawmakers including 5 women, passes the bill into law, the focus is also on President Adama Barrow who is expected to append his signature to turn it into law.
While his predecessor Yahya Jammeh simply outlawed FGM in the country with no explanation made to the public, the international community will be monitoring President Barrow, a man who is yet to come public on his position about the law.
Read also: Maputo protocol at 20: How African economies are embracing change
Female genital mutilation – a global view
According to a March 8 report by UNICEF, more than 230 million girls and women have undergone FGM. This figure represents a 15 per cent increase or roughly 30 million more girls and women, compared to the data released in 2016.
In the Female Genital Mutilation: A Global Concern report, UNICEF said the pace of progress against FGM remains at snail speed globally, leaving economies off track in meeting the Sustainable Development Goal of eradicating the practice by 2030 (SDG 5, target 5.3).
“Female genital mutilation harms girls’ bodies, dims their futures, and endangers their lives,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “We’re also seeing a worrying trend that more girls are subjected to the practice at younger ages, many before their fifth birthday. That further reduces the window to intervene. We need to strengthen the efforts of ending this harmful practice.”
To achieve the 2030 milestone, the global rate of FGM decline would need to be 27 times faster, meaning that policymakers including in the Gambia need to undertake drastic action to realize this goal.
Overall, the war against FGM is not just about changing laws but rolling out programs that help change deeply rooted societal attitudes and norms that keep perpetuating the practice.
For better impact, the campaign calls for cooperation from a broad range of actors, including government officials, civil society, religious and community leaders as well as global pressure groups. What’s more, targeting the boys and men as allies in this campaign could help drive societal change.
