By Arret Jatta
The attempts to repeal the Women Amendment Act 2015 at the National Assembly have raised serious concerns among Gambians at home and abroad, and split opinion among some people, especially community leaders.
In March 2024, National Assembly Member for FoniKansala, Almamy Gibba, tabled a private member bill to seek the decriminalization of FGM/C in line with his fervent belief that FGM/C is a traditional and religious practice.
While some want the law repealed because FGM/C is an entrenched religious and traditional practice, others want the practice to remain illegal because of its effects on women and girls.
Based on this, this reporter sampled the views of some community leaders in the Lower River Region (LRR) on the ongoing national discourse on whether to repeal FGM/C law in The Gambia or not.
Talking to Chief Yaya Jarjusey of Jarra West, he said, “I believe the ban on FGM should remain because it was banned for a reason. When you get sick you go to the hospital to see doctors who help cure you, and the same doctors are saying that FGM has health implications that affect women and should be abandoned, so we should listen to the doctors and stop the practice.”
He advised people to desist from making this a religious fight because it is not one.
“And for those saying it is a religious practice, it is not. If it is a religious thing, we have Muslims who do not practice FGM, the Wolofs do not practice FGM and we are not more religious than them”, he further said.
Aja Fatou Njie Fofona Jarjusey, the Regional Coordinator for GAMCOTRAP said she wants the ban to be maintained because the people making noise about lifting the ban are men and this is not about them.
“Women do not interfere with men’s circumcision so they should not interfere with women’s circumcision for the sake of respect. We women know what we face due to circumcision.
Responding to those women who want the ban to be lifted, Aja Fatou said maybe those women do not have the knowledge that others have regarding FGM, and some of them are carried away by men who support FGM.
Musu Kebba Jobe from Jarra also said that the practice should stay banned.
“When a child undergoes FGM, such child suffers from the trauma from the scar changes the child in some way, so if they want to give women and children their rights, they should leave the children alone because this doesn’t spoil someone’s religion in any way”.
“When former President Yaya Jammeh pronounced a ban on FGM in 2015, we all complied, there’s nobody came out to say it is a religious practice, coming out to say it is a religious practice now shows their incompetency for not defending what is a religious practice then.”
now if they want to come out now and say it is a religious practice then why didn’t they defend their religion then”.
However, Imam Mounirou Janneh of Mansakonko said female circumcision is in line with the religion of Islam.
“I am only speaking based on the teachings of Allah and Prophet Muhammad SAW when the prophet went to Mecca and he saw the people practicing it, he said to cut it moderately so I believe the prophet advised them not to mutilate but circumcise and if we are being true to ourselves, it is a Sunnah in Islam,” he attested.
He added that circumcising women is respectful it brings cleanliness to them, so if they are followers of the Prophet, they should follow his advice.
“If they choose to maintain the ban on FGM because of the benefits they are getting from foreign organizations then there is nothing we can do about it”, he added.
Sambou Jang Drammeh, the Alkalo of Kiang West Tankural also said that NAMs should come together and repeal the FGM law.
Saying, “Ever since I was born, I’ve never heard of anyone that die or is barren because of the practice of FGM. I will be happy if the law is repealed because this has been in existence since the days of the prophet and we are followers of the prophet”, he said.
Mai Sanneh, a survivor of FGM from Jarra Pakalinding said they all want good health and if FGM is bad for their health, then they should let it go.
“I’m an elderly person and yes we went through FGM, but those days, things are different from what is happening now. Now if someone undergoes FGM, they have complications because some parents don’t want their children to get intimate with boys so after circumcising them, they make a blockage to the girl’s private part so that no man will be able to penetrate her but when the girl gets married, removing this causes so much pain to them which is not good”, Mai explained.
“My grandmother was a circumciser when she passed away it was passed on to me, but when former President Jammehbanned it, I dropped the knife and I’ve not circumcised anyone ever since”, says Wontonding Gassama former Circumciser from Jarra Pakalingding.
She however said that if the government permits it, she will continue doing it.
Kebba Daffeh from the Regional Health Directorate Mansakonko said there might not be a proper record of FGM complications though, but, “What makes it more difficult is when you go to the hospital or clinics, you may not have a proper record of à complication of FGM and this would have been used as a yardstick for whatever debate is going on take into consideration the medical perspective.”
He further said that “this procedure is sometimes carried out in a situation that the same instrument can be used for different people without sterilization and in this era of HIV and other infections.”