Gambia FGM: Parliament rejects bill seeking to end ban

Human rights groups had urged MPs to block the bill, introduced after pressure from Muslim clerics.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatchHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessWomen at the HelmFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersGambia’s parliament rejects bill to allow FGM2 hours agoBy Ashley Lime, BBC NewsShareAFPWhen it was introduced in March, the bill was approved by a majority of MPsThe Gambia’s lawmakers have rejected a bill seeking to overturn a 2015 ban on female genital mutilation (FGM).

Speaker of Parliament Fabakary Tombong Jatta said a majority of MPs had voted against the bill even before its third and final reading, due later this month.

Human rights groups and the UN had urged MPs to block the bill, which was introduced in March after pressure from some Muslim clerics.

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.

The draft law, tabled by Almameh Gibba, was rejected after MPs voted against all of its proposed clauses.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cxw2jvnydyeo

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