‘This bill would set a dangerous precedent for women’s rights and tarnish Gambia’s human rights record’ - Michèle Eken

In response to the upcoming vote in Gambia’s parliament on Monday (18 March) on a bill to reverse the ban on female genital mutilation, Michèle Eken, Amnesty International’s West and Central Africa Senior Researcher, said: 

"This bill would set a dangerous precedent for women’s rights and tarnish Gambia’s human rights record. We urge parliament to vote against it.

“It is very disappointing that after the long fight Gambian activists put up to advance women’s rights, parliament is preparing to consider this backward move. Female genital mutilation infringes on girls and women’s right to health and bodily integrity.

"The Gambian government needs to address the root causes and drivers of FGM and implement comprehensive policies for women and girls’ empowerment to claim and exercise their human rights.”

Women and girls at risk of FGM

Around 46% of girls aged 14 and younger have undergone female genital mutilation in Gambia, according to UNICEF. This percentage goes up to 73% for girls and women between 15 and 49 years old. FGM can lead to a range of health complications including chronic pain, infections, difficult labour and even death during the mutilation or after.

FGM was outlawed in Gambia in 2015, only two cases have been prosecuted and the first conviction for performing FGM was not made until August 2023. Instead of moving forward and enforcing this important law alongside a set of comprehensive policies to empower women and girls to exercise their human rights, parliament is now considering reversing it.