With brutal timing, on International Women’s Day, the UN released data that showed that 30 million girls have been subject to female genital mutilation (FGM) between 2016 and 2023. That means globally now more than 230 million girls and women alive today have undergone this abhorrent practice.
As gut-wrenching as this news was, it was not the only shocking revelation on that day. Pro-FGM MPs and their supporters in Gambia also tabled their legislation to repeal the ban on FGM that day. FGM whenever it happens is an incredibly cruel and painful act, as I know personally, but in Gambia it is carried out on babies. To see men seeking to overturn legislation which seeks to protect children is just beyond words.
