By Arret Jatta
As the Supreme Court continue to hear a legal challenge against the outlawing of female circumcision in The Gambia, one Mariama Njie,a circumciser (Nyansinba), took the stand yesterday to face questions about her role in perpetuating the practice.
In her testimony Njie often responded with “I don’t know” or “I am not aware” when confronted with evidence of the harms caused by FGM.
When asked about the types of FGM, she replied, “I don’t know about it.” When pressed for records of the children she had circumcised, she said, “I am uneducated, so I cannot tell.”
During cross-examination by Counsel L.K Mboge, Njie was asked if she was aware of the harms FGM causes to the girl child, and she responded, “I am not aware, maybe if you tell me, I will know.”
When presented with evidence of the risks associated with FGM, including complications during childbirth and sex life, Njie said, “It may be possible but I have never experienced it and I have never seen it affect them.”
Njie claimed that FGM was a very strong Sunnah and that she had the right to practice it, comparing it to male circumcision. “Don’t they circumcise boys?” she asked. However, when asked about the benefits of FGM, she argued that “the benefit is that, what is cut from the girl child should not be there because if it is there, it bothers her.”
When questioned about her decision to circumcise children without their consent, Njie said: “When I was being circumcised, my consent was not sought, so I cannot seek the consent of the children I performed it on.” She claimed she was only following tradition and obeying her elders.
When asked how many women she had circumcised, she replied, “I cannot tell, I can only tell the duration.” She also claimed she didn’t know if the type of FGM she practiced was excessive or caused harm.
The witness was eventually discharged, and the case was adjourned to next term.
Counsel Mboge pointed out the contradictions in Njie’s testimony, highlighting that Njie’s responses only seemed to underscore her lack of understanding of the practice.
