The Gambia is debating whether to repeal its ban on female genital mutilation
Like many countries in Africa, The Gambia has a law criminalizing the practice of female genital mutilation. Now, amid a religious backlash, it could become the first country to repeal its ban.
As more and more countries outlaw the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM), The Gambia could become the first country in the world to overturn such a ban.
The country's National Assembly advanced a bill on March 18 that would repeal the 2015 law criminalizing all acts of FGM. That prospect has alarmed health and human rights activists in The Gambia and worldwide.
"This is pushback against women's rights," says Nimco Ali, an FGM survivor and co-founder of . "As soon as we make progress toward equality, the religious
