An infant just brought into this world in The Gambia has passed away due to female genital mutilation (FGM), which has ignited widespread anger and demands for the anti-mutilation laws to be more strictly implemented.
This death happened immediately after the performance of the assistive device, which is illegal in the country since 2015.
Nearly 10 years ago the Gambian government prohibited the practice of FGM with a law that included penalties not exceeding three years in prison or fines for the offenders.
This law followed a long period of resistance from women’s groups and health organizations who were raising the issue of the physical and psychological injuries caused by this practice.
However, FGM still occurs in some places under the shadow of the legal ban due to the deep-seated customs and beliefs. The procedure continues because of established social habits that regard it as a way of being or necessary in those who practice it.
Both human rights defenders and healthcare providers have expressed their outrage at this episode and are calling on the authorities not only to create but also to enforce more laws to shield innocent children.
Nongovernmental organizations are urging that educational programs that focus on the public be launched together with corresponding legal measures to put an end to this practice.
FGM is life-threatening, and the experts warn that the practice may lead to death through such ways as severe infections, excessive bleeding, and long-term medical complications. These health consequences may happen immediately or continue to develop, eventually affecting women for their whole lives.
Human Rights activists hold the view that the implementation of the FGM ban is very uneven across the country. They point out that in the absence of visible prosecutions and meaningful community-level engagement, rules cannot put an end to this evil practice in societies.
The recent unfortunate event has escalated the demand for the authorities to be very active in their approach and to ensure that no such incident recurs in the future.
