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Ask Bajen is an influential women’s advocacy group and community advocate, initiated by the Paradise Foundation (PF) to empower women and girls and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, including the deeply rooted cultural and traditional practice of FGM/C.
The foundation said nearly three-quarters of women and girls aged 15 to 49 in The Gambia have undergone FGM. Of these, 65% had undergone FGM before the age of five, while another 18% had undergone FGM between the ages of five and nine, according to the 2019-20 Gambia Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS).
“Female genital mutilation is a barbaric practice that violates the sexual and reproductive health rights of women and girls. It is undeniable that the practice is deeply rooted in culture. Culture is not static but dynamic and subject to change, especially when there is overwhelming evidence that the practice is detrimental to the health and well-being of women and girls,” the survey states.
“Such practices violate individuals’ rights to health, safety and physical integrity, the right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and the right to life when the procedure results in death.”
The findings show that female genital mutilation, which is performed on girls between the ages of infants and 15, is a violation of the human rights of girls and women and involves the ritual cutting or removal of the female clitoris.
In October, some organizations called on the government to uphold the law prohibiting female genital mutilation, following calls by some religious leaders and members of Congress to repeal the anti-FGM law following the prosecution and conviction of three women for performing FGM on eight girls.
Subsequently, the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Health and Gender submitted a report on the bill in July, highlighting the negative impact of FGM on women and girls and stressing that “FGM is not a religious obligation”, and made a number of recommendations, which were adopted by the majority of members of the National Assembly, including maintaining the Women (Amendment) Act 2015, prohibiting all forms of FGM, and providing legal support and protection for women and girls at risk of FGM and survivors.
It is also recommended that the government strengthen the enforcement of the law and issue clear policy directives prohibiting FGM and explicitly prohibiting any attempt to medicalize FGM.
Parliament on July 15, 2024 voted against the Women (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which sought to remove the clause that criminalizes female genital mutilation in the country.
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