By Olimatou Coker
Judy Gitau, the Regional Coordinator Africa for Equality Now, has welcomed the retention of Gambia’s FGM law by the National Assembly.
Gitau said the decision by Gambian lawmakers to side with the women and girls of The Gambia and protect them from FGM is not only commendable but precedence-setting. This is because in the recent past, “we have seen a continued encroachment on the rights of women and girls in the region and therefore their decision begins to reverse this tide. We understand the law is not everything but it is certainly the foundation from which we all draw our protection from violations and the law must therefore be protected at all costs,” Judy Gitau.
She added that it has to be said that repealing an FGM law was going to set a new low in the pushback against women’s rights. “While the vote in The Gambia to retain its ban on FGM is a significant victory, it is also a reminder of the ongoing need for vigilance and advocacy against harmful practices. The Gambia now must continue to implement the law and support educational and community-based initiatives that raise awareness about the dangers of FGM and promote gender equality. If the public is well-sensitized, they will have the capacity and agency to fight for their rights, providing stronger safeguards in protecting the law against regressive forces.
“Had the law criminalizing FGM been repealed, women and girls in The Gambia would have been put at far greater risk of being subjected to a continuum of violations including this harmful practice. By upholding the current law against FGM, Gambian lawmakers have ensured that women and girls have access to legal protection. This legislation therefore continues to serve as a vital tool in the fight against gender-based violence, offering a legal framework for prosecuting perpetrators and providing a deterrent for potential perpetrators,” she said.
Equality Now is an organization that advocates for the human rights of women and girls around the world by raising international visibility of individual cases of abuse, mobilizing public support through their global membership, and wielding strategic political pressure to ensure that governments enact and is also founded in 1992.
