By Arret Jatta
Hon. Gibbi Mballow the NAM for Lower Fuladu West has argued that people cannot hide behind religion to inflict pain on children by way of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)/C.
Mballow was contributing to the debate on the women amendment bill which is to repeal the law on FGM/C held at the National Assembly on Monday 18th March.
“We cannot hide behind Islam; we cannot hide behind culture to put pain on our children that is unacceptable. I am a father and I know what my children go through. Are we more religious than the Meccan people? Are we more religious than Senegalese people? We cannot hide behind Islam enough is enough,” he said.
“Let’s protect our girl child and women these women have suffered in this country, majority of us in parliament are voted by women. This concerns women, if I see men champion this who has never visited women on hospital beds,” he cried.
He said they should all be there to uphold the rights of women. Mballow went on to stress that the kind of pain children undergo through FGM, it should not be welcome by any one.
“When I look at my child at home and the pain she goes through, and I come here to defend the repeal of this law, speaker I’m saying no, and I’m urging all colleagues to do the same and this bill should not go to any other stage.”
“Why are we dragging religion into this when the people we reference are not practicing this, we say if Saudi keep fast, we are contended on that now Saudi is not doing it we not contended on that?” he questioned other members of the parliament.
However, Hon. Member for Kiang West, Lamin Ceesay also says he cannot enact a law that will arrest and prosecute his electorates and elders.
“My actions in this parliament will never arrest and prosecute my electorates who brought me here. Let me resign from this parliament today rather than to enact a law that will go and arrest my mother, that will go and arrest my father,” he concluded.
