insert_link Africa Gambia MPs uphold ban on female genital mutilation Gambian lawmakers voted this afternoon to uphold a 2015 ban on female genital mutilation, rejecting a controversial bill seeking to overturn the law after months of heated debate and international pressure. Legislators killed the bill by voting against all the proposed amendments to the 2015 text that would have decriminalised the practice. Rights groups and the United Nations had urged MPs to reject the bill, saying it […] todayJuly 15, 2024 10
insert_link Africa Female genital mutilation is on the rise in Africa: disturbing new trends are driving up the numbers By Tamsin Bradley, University of Portsmouth Thirteen-year-old Salamatu Jalloh had her whole future to look forward to. But in January 2023, her lifeless body was found wrapped in a pink and blue shroud on an earthen floor in a village in north-west Sierra Leone. Salamatu and two other girls bled to death after participating in a secret Bondo society initiation into womanhood. The ceremony, which […] todayMay 13, 2024 25
insert_link Africa The Gambia may allow female genital mutilation again – another sign of a global trend eroding women’s rights By Satang Nabaneh, University of Dayton The Gambia’s ban on female genital mutilation (FGM) since 2015 is under threat. Proposed changes before parliament could permit medicalised female genital cutting and allow it for consenting adults. This potential reversal has thrust the country into the global spotlight as the latest example of the backlash against gender equality. The Gambia’s criminalisation of FGM was not the first in west […] todayApril 2, 2024 11
insert_link Africa Women’s Rights’ Coalition issues a strong appeal to African Governments for swift action against continued women’s rights violations In a firm and unequivocal declaration, the SOAWR Coalition, a consortium of over 70 women's rights organizations in 33 African countries dedicated to advocating for women’s rights in Africa, launched a Call for Action and Accountability in harmony with the objectives of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. The Coalition expresses profound concern about the delayed realization of the promise of gender equality made to African women and girls by the AU […] todayDecember 4, 2023 9
