Gambian police have charged three women after a one-month-old girl died from complications following female genital mutilation (FGM), in a case that has triggered national outrage.
The suspects were charged under the Women’s (Amendment) Act, 2015, which criminalises FGM. One woman, facing life imprisonment, has been remanded in custody, while two alleged accomplices were granted bail, police said.
“This is more than just a case — it is a national wake-up call,” said Emmanuel Joof, chair of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), calling FGM a criminal offence and a human rights violation.
Despite a decade-old ban, the practice remains widespread in The Gambia. Last year, parliament rejected a proposal to overturn the ban, which would have made the country the first to reverse such a law.
“No cultural or traditional justification should override the obligation to protect children from harm,” the NHRC said.