Gambian Mothers Report FGM Still Common for Infants Despite Ban

Despite a national ban on female genital mutilation (FGM) in The Gambia since 2015, the practice remains common, driven largely by mothers and older women who uphold the tradition.

Surveys show over half of mothers with young daughters report not having subjected them to FGM. However, many still do, and some girls undergo the procedure before their first birthday. Former practitioners like Hulay Damba, who inherited her role from her grandmother, said there is a cycle of enforcement across generations.

Fatou Baldeh from Women in Liberation and Leadership said that women remain both victims and enforcers of a deeply violent tradition rooted in gender inequality. She said there should be efforts to “dismantle the structures that pressure women into performing this act”.