Gambian
lawmakers
have
voted
to
uphold
a
2015
ban
on
female
genital
mutilation
(FGM),
rejecting
a
controversial
bill
seeking
to
overturn
the
law,
after
months
of
heated
debate
and
international
pressure.
The
Women’s
(Amendment)
Bill
2024,
which
had
sought
to
decriminalise
the
practice
of
female
circumcision,
had
passed
a
second
reading
in
March
with
only
five
out
of
53
lawmakers
voting
against
it,
raising
concerns
among
rights
groups
that
The
Gambia
would
become
the
first
country
to
reverse
a
ban
on
the
practice.
The
bill
has
deeply
dividing
public
opinion
in
the
Muslim-majority
West
African
country.
The
text
of
the
bill,
introduced
by
MP
Almameh
Gibba,
declared
that
“female
circumcision”
is
a
deep-rooted
cultural
and
religious
practice,
but
anti-FGM
campaigners
and
international
rights
groups
said
it
is
a
harmful
violation
against
women
and
girls.
The
landmark
2015
ban
on
FGM
made
the
practice
punishable
by
up
to
three
years
in
prison.
Lawmakers
on
Monday
voted
again
on
each
of
the
bill’s
clauses
before
a
third
and
final
reading
scheduled
for
July
24,
with
a
majority
voting
against
each
clause.
That
prompted
National
Assembly
Speaker
Fabakary
Tombong
Jatta
to
stop
the
bill
moving
forward
to
the
final
reading.
“The
[National]
Assembly
cannot
be
engaged
in
such
a
futile
exercise
as
to
allow
the
bill
to
proceed
to
a
third
reading,”
Jatta
said
after
the
votes.
“The
bill
is
rejected
and
the
legislative
process
exhausted.”
Table
banging
could
be
heard
in
the
packed
parliamentary
chamber
as
MPs
rejected
each
of
the
four
clauses.
The
World
Health
Organization
says
FGM
has
no
health
benefits
and
can
lead
to
excessive
bleeding,
shock,
psychological
problems
and
even
death.
FGM
involves
the
partial
or
total
removal
of
the
female
external
genitalia
or
other
injury
to
the
female
genital
organs,
and
can
lead
to
serious
health
problems
including
infections,
bleeding,
infertility
and
complications
in
childbirth.
The
Gambia
is
among
the
10
countries
with
the
highest
rates
of
FGM,
with
73
percent
of
women
and
girls
aged
15
to
49
having
undergone
the
procedure,
according
to
2024
figures
from
UNICEF.
A
UN
report
from
March
said
that
more
than
230
million
girls
and
women
worldwide
are
survivors
of
the
practice.
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