Africa-Press – Gambia. The World Medical Association is calling on Gambian authorities to immediately withdraw and halt the progress of the bill to lift the ban on female genital mutilation (FGM) established in 2015.
Furthermore, the WMA urges the Gambian government to uphold its international human rights obligations, particularly the Maputo Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, all of which The Gambia has ratified.
“Female genital mutilation constitutes a violation of human rights and presents significant risks to the health of women and girls. It is imperative that the law prohibiting female genital mutilation be upheld to ensure the protection of the well-being and dignity of individuals in The Gambia,” said Dr. Lujain AlQodmani, President of the World Medical Association.
“The WMA strongly opposes any attempt to lift the ban on this harmful practice,” continues Dr. AlQodmani, “and urges the Gambian authorities to respect international human rights obligations, which Gambia has already ratified. »
The WMA condemns genital mutilation as a gross violation of the human rights of girls and women and strongly opposes the involvement of physicians in this practice. The World Medical Association, which is the global federation of National Medical Associations representing millions of physicians worldwide, highlights the permanent damage to health caused by this cruel practice, including hemorrhage, infections, shock and severe chronic pain, urological and obstetric complications and even death during or after mutilation.
Last March, Gambian MPs voted in favour of the bill, which was then sent to a parliamentary committee for consideration before a final vote scheduled for the next session, from June 24 to July 24.
Following the resolution of the WMA Council adopted during its April 2024 session in Seoul, Dr. Al-Qudmani, President of the World Medical Association, sent an open letter to the Gambian authorities requesting the immediate withdrawal of the bill and the strengthening of legislation aimed at the elimination of FGM.
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