Ahead of the final parliamentary vote on a proposed bill to repeal the law banning female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), Gambian lawmakers have adopted a report by a joint committee that supports the continued outlawing of FGM/C.
In a heated session that reportedly involved a lot of shouting and banging on tables, the house was looking into the recommendations of the Parliamentary Joint Committee of Health and Gender. In its report, the committee resolved that the 2015 ban should be upheld, “to prohibit female circumcision in all forms whether genital mutilation or cutting in The Gambia.”
“Repealing the ban on FGM/C would expose women and girls to severe health risks and violate their right to physical and mental well-being,” the committee said.
In addition to maintaining the anti-FGM law, the committee also recommended the provision of legal support for women and girls at risk of undergoing FGM/C, stricter enforcement of the law against FGM/C, and a ban on any attempts to medicalize the procedure.
Thirty-five members of parliament (MPs) voted in favor of adopting the report’s recommendations, while 17 voted against and two abstained. This indicates that the law against FGM/C will remain in place after final parliamentary voting on the proposed repeal later this month.
If the repeal passes through, it will make Gambia the first country to roll back anti-FGM laws. The law was put in place back in 2015, but it wasn’t until last year that its first convictions were recorded. Shortly after the landmark case, pro-FGM supporters began public discussion on the possibility of the law being reversed, and it made its way to parliament in March, scaling two readings that sent it to the joint committee for further review.
Pro-FGM support is being led by some prominent Islamic clerics in the Muslim-majority country, however, the committee also noted in its report that FGM/C isn’t a religious-backed act, after consulting with some religious leaders. The committee also referred to the potential repeal as a “traumatic form of torture” and “discrimination against women.”
Final voting to uphold or repeal the FGM/C ban will take place on July 24.
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