The death of a one-month-old baby girl following Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in The Gambia has reignited national debate over the banned cultural practice.
Although FGM is illegal in the country, the child’s death has reopened tensions between Muslim clerics, lawmakers, activists and communities divided over whether the practice should remain prohibited or be decriminalised.
Three women were charged in connection with the baby’s death in August last year.
The incident came after Gambian lawmakers rejected a bill seeking to repeal the country’s FGM ban. The bill was introduced by National Assembly member Almameh Gibba of Foni Kansala, alongside Sulayman Saho of Baddibu Central, and called for the decriminalisation of the practice.
Their legislative push followed controversy over prominent pro-FGM cleric Abdoulie Fatty, a former imam at the State House, who paid fines imposed on women convicted of circumcising eight children. Fatty argued that the court’s decision violated women’s rights to practise their culture and religion.
According to the 2019–2020 Gambia Demographic and Health Survey, around seven in 10 Gambian women and girls aged between 15 and 49 have undergone some form of FGM.
Supporters of the practice, including some Islamic clerics, describe it as a form of purification or female circumcision rooted in religious and cultural tradition. Despite penalties under the Women’s Amendment Act 2015, including up to three years in prison or a fine of D50,000, the practice continues in some communities.
For many Gambians, FGM remains deeply tied to ethnic identity, tradition, culture and contested religious interpretations.
Zaineb Jabang, a 33-year-old mother of three and a practising Muslim, said opponents of the practice were “wrongly informed”.
“Female circumcision should be medicalised and performed by trained professionals because it is sunnah culture and a deeply rooted tradition that would be difficult to take away from people,” she said.
“It has vast benefits. However, Islam does not accept the infliction of pain on anyone.”
Another mother, Sohna Tunkara, who underwent FGM, said she had not experienced complications during childbirth.
“I have gone through FGM but I did not experience any known complications,” she said.
“Some people claim that when you have undergone FGM, it limits your sexual desire. But I haven’t encountered anything like that. I have been married for seven years now. However, though it is sunnah, it is prohibited by law and people should refrain from it. We should be law-abiding to prevent all this chaos.”
Imam Fatty argued that the dispute was not over mutilation, but over what he described as female circumcision within Islamic limits.
“Islam does not tolerate any harm committed against any human being,” he said.
“Female circumcision is sunnah in our religion and is backed by authentic hadiths. It is widely practised by almost all tribes in The Gambia. In order to discourage FGM, people should talk about how to religiously perform circumcision without exceeding the limits. This will stop mutilation and all forms of harm.”
He added: “You cannot abolish a practice that is sunnah just because people are doing it wrongly. Teach them and guide them to do it correctly.”
Fatty said Islamic jurisprudence regarded circumcision for men and women as a legitimate practice, arguing that classical jurists did not describe it as forbidden when performed within prescribed limits.
But opponents of FGM say the practice causes lasting physical, psychological and reproductive harm. They argue that it is less about religion and more about controlling women’s bodies, sexuality and social behaviour.
One survivor, who asked not to be named, said the practice was used to “control my body and keep me obedient”.
“I believe it was done to control my body and my sexual desires,” she said.
“In my culture, girls are supposed to remain virgins until marriage. That is why they take girls through this process, to limit their sexual desires. It is deemed shameful when a girl is not found to be a virgin on her wedding night.
“Virginity is celebrated in The Gambia, and that is why some parents subject their daughters to such traumatising pain. They do not only cut us, sometimes they seal us as well.”
She said many women had been conditioned to accept the practice as a rite of passage.
“Women do not understand that it is a violation of their bodies. They convinced us that even our ancestors underwent this process to welcome them into womanhood. But I do not understand how or why womanhood needs to be so painful.”
FGM ban in The Gambia
The Gambia banned FGM in 2015 under former president Yahya Jammeh. At the time, then Information Minister Sheriff Bojang told the BBC the ban was introduced “in the best interest of the young women and girls of The Gambia”.
For activist and public health advocate Fatoumata Sanneh, the latest death is a painful reminder of the urgent need to enforce the law.
“It is deeply saddening that after so many efforts and overwhelming evidence from both medical perspectives and community experiences, survivors of FGM continue to be retraumatised by their experiences, yet some people still refuse to listen, refuse to unlearn and refuse to let go of the practice,” she said.
Sanneh said while FGM is deeply rooted in Gambian society and cannot be ended overnight, the law must be enforced to protect girls from harm.
“Girls’ bodies must never be used as political tools. Their safety, dignity and rights should always come first,” she said.
She added that activists would continue challenging harmful norms by educating young people who have the power to break the cycle.
“It is particularly troubling that men who do not experience this form of violence are often the loudest voices in support of it, insisting on calling it FGC instead of FGM in an attempt to minimise the harm it causes,” Sanneh said.
“There are different levels of FGM, and none of them are beneficial to the girls subjected to it.”
Sanneh said claims about the benefits of FGM had been proven false and were rooted in discrimination, misinformation and harmful myths.
“This is not a feminist fight alone, but a collective struggle that concerns everyone,” she said.
“FGM affects us all as a nation through its impact on health, education, economic productivity and social progress.”
She rejected comparisons between FGM and medical or cosmetic procedures, saying the key issue was consent.
“Medical procedures are carried out for health reasons, while FGM is performed as a means of control. Cosmetic surgeries are done on adults who are able to give informed consent, whereas FGM is carried out on minors who have no choice.”
Sanneh said the legal position remained clear.
“FGM is harmful and it is illegal in The Gambia. As citizens, it is our responsibility to respect and uphold the laws of the country. As an activist, I will continue to educate, debunk myths and firmly stand against FGM.”
DISCLAIMER: Female circumcision and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) are not synonymous and should not be conflated. Harmful practices categorised as FGM are widely condemned by Muslim scholars and medical authorities due to the physical and psychological harm involved. References to female circumcision found in certain juristic discussions represent a minority opinion and are not regarded as obligatory by the overwhelming majority of mainstream Islamic scholars. Moreover, forms of female circumcision predate Islam and have historically existed among various non-Muslim tribal and cultural communities worldwide.
