Lawmakers in the West African nation of Gambia on Monday rejected a bill seeking to overturn a 2015 ban on female genital mutilation (FGM). The vote followed months of heated debate in the largely Muslim nation of less than 3 million people.
The attempt to become the first country in the world to reverse such a ban had been closely followed by activists abroad.
What Is Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)?
The procedure includes the partial or full removal of girls' external genitalia, often by traditional community practitioners with tools such as razor blades or at times by health workers.
It can cause serious bleeding, death and childbirth complications but remains a widespread practice in parts of Africa.
In Gambia, more than half of women and girls ages 15 to 49 have undergone the procedure, according to United Nations estimates. Former leader Yahya Jammeh unexpectedly banned the practice in 2015 without further explanation. But activists say enforcement has been weak and women have continued to be cut, with only two cases prosecuted.
30 Million Women Globally Have Undergone FGM In Past 8 Years
UNICEF earlier this year said some 30 million women globally have undergone female genital cutting in the past eight years, most of them in Africa but others in Asia and the Middle East.
More than 80 countries have laws prohibiting the procedure or allowing it to be prosecuted, according to a World Bank study cited earlier this year by the United Nations Population Fund. They include South Africa, Iran, India and Ethiopia.
“No religious text promotes or condones female genital mutilation,” the UNFPA report said, adding there is no benefit to it.
Long term, the practice can lead to urinary tract infections, menstrual problems, pain, decreased sexual satisfaction and childbirth complications as well as depression, low self-esteem and post-traumatic stress disorder.
(With AP inputs)
