Outrage in The Gambia Amid FGM Allegations and Infant Death

The death of a one-year-old baby girl in The Gambia has ignited public outrage amid suspicions that she was a victim of female genital mutilation (FGM). The baby was rushed to the hospital in the capital, Banjul, after developing severe bleeding, but was pronounced dead on arrival, police said. 

While an autopsy is underway to establish the actual cause of death, many believe she died from FGM complications, a cultural practice prevalent in West African countries. Following the death of the baby girl, two women have been arrested for their alleged involvement in her death. The MP of the Kombo North District, Abdoulie Ceesay, where the incident occurred, emphasised the need not to be sensitive about the baby’s death, urging for it to be a call to “renew its unwavering commitment to protecting every child’s right to life, safety, and dignity.” 

FGM is a practice that involves the deliberate cutting or removal of a woman or girl’s external genitalia for non-medical reasons. It is often justified on the basis of social acceptance, religious beliefs, misconceptions about hygiene, preventing promiscuity, making women “marriageable”, and enhancing male sexual pleasure.  It is also known for its unsanitary methods. 

While FGM practice is not limited to African countries alone, The Gambia is among the 10 countries with the highest rates of FGM, with 73% of women and girls aged 15 to 49 having undergone the procedure, and many doing so before the age of six years. 

In an article written by the BBC titled “What is FGM, where does it happen and why?” The media outlet sought to uncover the intricacies of the infamous cultural practice. Speaking with a survivor, Bishara Sheikh Hamo, from Kenya, who detailed her harrowing experience, revealing that she underwent the procedure when she was 11 years old. 

Per the World Health Organisation, people who undergo the procedure are susceptible to long-term complications, which include: infections, painful urination, vagina discharge, itching, menstrual problems, scar tissue, keloids, sexual problems, increased risk of childbirth complications and psychological problems. 

Although FGM has been criminalised in The Gambia since 2015, with fines and jail terms of up to three years for perpetrators caught and life sentences if a girl dies as a result. However, there are still staunch supporters of the gruesome practice. In 2024, Gambia’s lawmakers had to vote to reject a bill seeking to overturn the 2015 ban imposed by the government.

Women In Leadership and Liberation (WILL) founder Fatou Baldeh informed the BBC that the ban has not deterred perpetrators from performing the procedures on babies in The Gambia; rather, there has been an increase. She indicated that parents opt for carrying out the procedure on girls at a very young age, preferably when they are babies, since the healing process is quicker and  is “easier to disguise.”

Whilst the FGM ban by the government has been commended, there have been calls for a stricter enforcement of the law since only two prosecutions and one conviction have been carried out since its implementation.