180 civil society organizations urge Gambia to protect women and girls

The statement obtained by PANA on Friday stated Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) had united to urge the Gambian government to uphold the law.

The Kaur/Kuntaur Magistrates’ Court sometime this year delivered a landmark judgment that marked the first conviction since the law, banning FGM was enacted eight years ago.

The Association of Non-Governmental Organizations in The Gambia (TANGO), the Gambia Committee on Traditional Practices (GAMCOTRAP), and the Network Against Gender-Based Violence (NGBV) are joined by 180 civil society organizations from across Africa and around the world urging the government of The Gambia to stand firm in its commitment to protect women and girls by upholding the law prohibiting FGM.

This letter is in response to deeply troubling comments made recently by some religious and political leaders advocating decriminalizing FGM, including regressive statements in the national parliament calling for the law to be repealed.

In 2015, The Gambia took a momentous step by amending the Women's Act 2010 to explicitly criminalize FGM under sections 32A and 32B respectively.

The Women’s (Amendment) Act of 2015 prohibits FGM, stating that, “a person shall not engage in female circumcision… a person who engages in female circumcision commits an offense” and is liable on conviction to “imprisonment for a term of three years or a fine of fifty thousand dalasis or both; and where female circumcision causes death, to life imprisonment”.

Current attempts to remove legal protections were sparked by the conviction in August 2023 of three women for carrying out FGM on eight infant girls. Each offender was ordered to pay a fine of 15,000 Dalasis (around $230 US) or serve a one-year prison sentence.

The landmark judgment by the Kaur/Kuntaur Magistrates’ Court marks the first conviction since the law banning FGM was enacted eight years ago.

“Sustained efforts are required to accelerate FGM’s eradication, and we hail the significance of these convictions and their role in addressing impunity. This case underscores the need to bolster enforcement mechanisms and awareness-raising throughout The Gambia, where UNICEF estimates that 73% of women and girls aged 15 to 49 have been subjected to this illegal practice,” the NGOs and CSOs said.

“However, we are concerned about the leniency of the sentences, as a fine of just D15,000 does not adequately reflect the crime’s seriousness,” they added.

“Furthermore, some political and religious leaders have openly supported the convicted individuals. Concerningly, they are also publicly advocating the law against FGM to be repealed, and some influential figures have even recommended that FGM be continued.

"This is despite the promotion or incitement of FGM being criminalized, and such injurious comments being in direct contradiction to the principles of justice, protection, and welfare of women and girls.”

-0-PANA MSS/RA-13Oct2023