TAKING A STAND AGAINST FGM

In Gambia, 73 per cent of women and girls aged 15 to 49 years have undergone FGM.

NEW INTERNATIONALIST
18 July 2024

Rosebell Kagumire argues that we must stand firm against the conservative assault on women’s autonomy.


It was quite a scene, as man after man stood up to speak in Gambia’s National Assembly during a debate on one of the most private aspects of women’s lives. In March 2024, the male-dominated Assembly – where women have only 8.6 per cent of seats – overwhelmingly voted to repeal a ban on female genital mutilation (FGM).

The move swiftly undid decades of advocacy which in 2015 had resulted in a law banning FGM, making Gambia the 27th African country to outlaw the practice, with penalties of up to three years in prison or fines equivalent to around $730.

In August 2023 Gambia’s Magistrates Courts convicted three women of performing FGM and imposed fines, underscoring the law. It was no longer just on paper, but was actually being enforced. While this sparked hope, there was also a backlash from some parliamentarians and religious leaders. Calls to repeal the ban once again intensified, in a country where 73 per cent of women and girls aged 15 to 49 years have undergone FGM.

Rights advocates responded by organizing community rallies, attending parliamentary sessions and protesting – despite facing threats of organized attacks. Support from some regional chiefs and former circumcisers has strengthened the anti-FGM movement, although the political and religious interests continue to pose challenges as Gambia navigates its fragile democracy under President Adama Barrow.

Regional bodies like the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights, and the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, have urged the preservation of anti-FGM laws. In November 2023, these bodies described FGM as ‘a pervasive abuse of the rights of girls and women that is as old as human civilization’, emphasizing that the interests of the child should prevail over competing cultural, religious or social norms. United Nations experts on the rights of women and children also supported maintaining the law.

Gambia is not alone; nearly 140 million women and girls in Africa have undergone FGM and even with 28 countries on the continent enacting laws against it, enforcement remains weak and accountability is elusive.

RELATED: SURVIVORS AND DOCTORS FIGHT BACK AGAINST FGM

Nearly 140 million women and girls in Africa have undergone FGM and even with 28 countries on the continent enacting laws against it, enforcement remains weak and accountability is elusive.

The pushback against women’s rights diverts badly needed attention, resources and services – including healthcare, reconstructive surgeries, and psychological care – away from survivors. Those who have faced this heinous violence struggle to get justice.

In many countries in conflict, such as Sudan and Somalia, the prevalence of FGM often intensifies, exacerbated by factors such as displacement, poverty and breakdown of social systems. Recently, the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs in Ethiopia backed medicalized FGM, where a healthcare professional carries out the cutting, contradicting national laws.

We must stand firm against the conservative assault on women’s autonomy, that sees too many male-led institutions spreading patriarchal beliefs and misinformation about women’s bodies, determining who lives free from violence and who doesn’t

Rosebell Kagumire