Gambia upholds its ban on female genital cutting. Reversing it would have been a global first

BANJUL, Gambia — Lawmakers in the West African nation of Gambia on Monday rejected a bill that would have overturned a ban on female genital cutting. Just because men didn’t believe that female genital cutting harmed us.” She added: “And right now, girls are still being cut. Gambia’s Islamic body in 2023 issued a fatwa, recommending the lifting of the ban of what they defined as “female circumcision,” as opposed to female genital mutilation or cutting. Let’s wait for the election to make our voice heard.” UNICEF earlier this year said some 30 million women globally have undergone female genital cutting in the past eight years, most of them in Africa but others in Asia and the Middle East. UNICEF and WHO issued a joint statement on Monday evening, commending Gambia on the vote which reaffirmed “its commitments to human rights, gender equality, and protecting the health and well-being of girls and women.” But, it added, legislative bans are not enough to stop female genital cutting, a practice that “can inflict severe immediate and long-term physical and psychological damage, including infection, later childbearing complications, and post-traumatic stress disorder.” The organizations emphasized the need for continued advocacy, working with communities and local leaders, as well as training health workers, “to advance gender equality, end violence against girls and women, and secure the gains made to accelerate progress to end FGM.” ___ Pronczuk reported from Dakar, Senegal.