The Gambia upholds ban on FGM/C

It was expected that the bill would go to a vote on 24 July 2024, however it has been confirmed that the bill has been voted down before it's final reading. The vote represents a huge win for girls' and women's rights in The Gambia.

How does FGM/C impact girls and women?

FGM/C has negative consequences for the health, safety, and rights of women and girls, including their rights to education, bodily autonomy, and freedom from gender-based violence. According to the latest Demographic and Health Survey (2019), the prevalence rate of FGM/C in The Gambia is 73%, with two-thirds of affected women reporting that they were cut at the tender age of 5.

In many communities where FGM/C is prevalent, child marriage is also common. FGM/C is often linked to notions associated with a girl’s “marriageability” and may precede child marriage.

Given The Gambia’s status as a leader in the region, a reversal of the ban would embolden actors, in other countries, to weaken legal protections and policy against such harmful practices.

What action have we taken to support the protection of the ban on FGM/C?

Advocacy efforts by civil society in The Gambia

In The Gambia, civil society and relevant ministries have been tireless in their advocacy to the National Assembly to uphold the ban on FGM/C. In collaboration, they have presented key recommendations on maintaining the law, including the need to protect the health and wellbeing of girls and women, to uphold fundamental human rights, and to promote gender equality.

Advocating at the First AU Pan African Conference on Girls’ and Women’s Education

At the African Union First Pan African Conference on Girls and Women’s Education (PANCOGED1) organised by Africa Union International Center for Girls and Women Education in Africa (AU CIEFFA), Fatou Gueye Ndir, Senior Regional Engagement and Advocacy Officer, Girls Not Brides, addressed The Gambia Honourable Minister of Basic and Secondary Education. She called upon the Government of The Gambia to maintain the ban on FGM/C, emphasising the need to protect girls in The Gambia.

Advocating at the 56th session of the UN Human Rights Council

At the Human Rights Council annual discussion on the human rights of women, Girls Not Brides, GAMCOTRAP and Equality Now called on all states to adopt and protect, where these exist, legislative measures that outlaw child marriage and other harmful practices, including FGM/C, including by supporting efforts to maintain the current law against FGM/C in The Gambia.

1) Oral Intervention at the Human Rights Council annual discussion on women’s rights

At the Human Rights Council annual discussion on the human rights of women, Girls Not Brides, GAMCOTRAP and Equality Now called on all states to adopt and protect, where these exist, legislative measures that outlaw child marriage and other harmful practices, including FGM/C, including by supporting efforts to maintain the current law against FGM/C in The Gambia.

2) Advocating with UN Special Procedures, UN agencies and allied states

In meetings with the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls, UNFPA, WHO and representatives of several state delegations, Dr. Isatou Touray, the Executive Director of GAMCOTRAP, urged allies to use their mandates to advocate against the repeal of the FGM/C ban, highlighting the detrimental impact of FGM/C on the lives and rights of girls and women, as well as the risk this initiative poses to other legal protections against harmful practices, such as child marriage.

3) Addressing cross-border and transnational FGM/C

In a Human Rights Council side event focusing on effective strategies to address cross-border and transnational female genital mutilation, co-hosted by Equality Now, Dr. Touray underlined that if the bill to repeal the FGM/C ban in The Gambia becomes law, girls from neighbouring countries where FGM/C is banned may be at risk of being forcibly transferred to The Gambia to be subjected to FGM/C.

Statements in solidarity

Girls Not Brides joined Generation Equality and Commitment Makers, a wide network of feminist organisations and human rights defenders to co-sign the cross-action coalition solidarity statement. The coalition firmly oppose any legislative attempts, in any context, which sets back women and girls’ rights. Accelerating action to end harmful practices, including FGM/C, is a collective commitment across the Generation Equality Action Coalition on Gender-Based Violence and the Action Coalition on Bodily Autonomy and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, and cross-cutting the work and efforts of the Action Coalition on Feminist Movement and Leadership.