Gambia Holds First Anti-FGM Prosecution Since Ban Was Upheld Last Year

            In 2023, the first conviction and sentencing against FGM practice were recorded

 

The Gambia has put three women on trial after the death of a one-month-old baby was linked to female genital mutilation.

The trial is the first since the country's parliament rejected an attempt to overturn the historic ban on female genital mutilation in a boost for the global century-old campaign against the practice.

"Three women have now been charged under the Women’s (Amendment) Act, 2015. The first accused, Fatou Camara, has been charged under Section 32A – Prohibition of Female Circumcision, which carries a penalty of life imprisonment. She has been remanded in custody. The second and third accused, Oumie Sawaneh and Hawa Conteh, are charged under Section 32B – Accomplices to Female Circumcision. Both have been granted bail, as the offence is bailable," the Gambia Police Force (GPF) said in a statement on Wednesday.

"GPF reiterates its commitment to safeguarding the wellbeing of all vulnerable persons and urges the public to report any harmful traditional practices to the nearest police station," the police said.

Since the law came into force in 2015, only one successful prosecution was recorded when three women were convicted and sentenced to a fine of D15, 000 (about $300) in 2023.

Written by Modou S. Joof 

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