3 Women Charged In Gambia Over Death Of Newborn Girl Linked To Female Genital Mutilation

Police in The Gambia have charged three women in connection with the death of a one-month-old girl who underwent the primitive practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

The death of the girl has spiked public outcry in the West African nation.

Female Genital Mutilation continue to be practiced in The Gambia despite a decade-old ban.

Police charged the three women under the Women’s (Amendment) Act, 2015, a landmark law criminalising female genital mutilation (FGM).

The Gambian police announced the charge on Wednesday, August 13, 2025.

According to the police,
one of the women faces life imprisonment and has been remanded in custody, while the two others were charged as accomplices and granted bail.

Speaking earlier this week at an event, Emmanuel Joof, the chair of The Gambia’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), says
“That incident is more than just a case — it is a national wake-up call,” adding that
“It is a reminder that FGM is not simply a ‘cultural practice’—it is a criminal offence, a human rights violation, and in some cases, like this one, it is deadly.”

FGM remains widespread in The Gambia despite the ban. Last year, lawmakers rejected a bill that would have made the country the first to reverse a national ban on the practice.
“No cultural or traditional justification should override the obligation to protect children from harm,” the NHRC said in a separate statement.

Source:Africa Publicity