Gambian parliament is determined to continue ban on female genital mutilation

Gambia’s parliament on Monday rejected a bill that would have ended a ban on female genital mutilation after lawmakers voted down all the clauses in the proposed law, Parliament Speaker Fabakary Tombong Jatta said.

The bill to overturn the ban sparked a public debate about female genital mutilation for the first time in the West African nation that divided villages, families and parliament.

The World Health Organization says FGM has no health benefits and can lead to excessive bleeding, shock, psychological problems and even death.

The bill passed a second reading in March with only five out of 53 lawmakers voting against it, raising concerns among rights advocates that Gambia would become the first to reverse a ban on the practice.

Anti-FGM activist Fatou Baldeh, who was cut when she was 8, said she was relieved, but also disappointed the bill had been considered in the first place.”I am not celebrating for the fact that our women and girls’ lives were put on the line, that made me sad,” Baldeh said.

Gambian legal scholar Satang Nabaneh said the bill’s rejection showed Gambia’s commitment to international and human rights obligations.