Lawmakers in The Gambia have rejected a proposed bill aimed at reversing the 2015 ban on female genital mutilation (FGM).
Speaker of Parliament Fabakary Tombong Jatta announced that a majority of MPs voted against the bill even before its scheduled third and final reading later this month.
Human rights organizations and the UN had urged MPs to oppose the bill, which was introduced in March following pressure from certain Muslim clerics.
The Gambia ranks among the top 10 countries with the highest prevalence rates of FGM, affecting 73% of women and girls aged 15 to 49.
The draft legislation, put forward by Almameh Gibba, was dismissed after MPs voted against all its proposed clauses.
Ms. Jatta stated that the bill had been “rejected and the legislative process concluded,” thereby preventing it from advancing to a third reading.
Initially approved by a majority of MPs when introduced in March, the bill had raised the possibility of The Gambia becoming the first country to lift a ban on the practice.
In its most severe form, FGM involves the complete removal of the clitoris and subsequent closure of the genitalia, severely impacting a woman’s sexual function.
The 2015 ban imposed fines and prison sentences of up to three years for offenders, with life imprisonment possible if a girl died from the procedure.
While FGM is prohibited in over 70 countries worldwide, it continues to be practiced, particularly in Muslim-majority nations like The Gambia.
Rights advocacy group ActionAid cautioned that any attempt to overturn the ban would undermine The Gambia’s efforts to combat violence against women and girls.
“We as campaigners fought tooth and nail to bring about a ban and an end to FGM/C,” said ActionAid Gambia women rights manager Binta Ceesay.
According to the UN, more than 230 million girls and women around the world have had FGM.