- US existing home sales rise in July, ending downward trend
- Unbeaten Verstappen eyes 'very close' Dutch Grand Prix
- Protests as rebuilt tower opens at German church with Nazi links
- A divide opens in Ukraine over giving up land for peace
- Hammers boss Lopetegui will be glad to see transfer window shut
- Leverkusen coach Alonso says Bayern 'favourites' in Bundesliga
- Cannon-Brookes: Australia's billionaire climate warrior
- War cook: Ukrainian soldier-influencer's winning recipe
- Cosplay and queues at Germany gamers gathering
- Verstappen eyes 'very close' Dutch Grand Prix
- Play resumes on second day of England-Sri Lanka first Test
- Taiwan sentences eight soldiers for spying for China
- PSG coach Luis Enrique plays down prospect of more new signings
- Key Indian hospital ends strike but doctor rape protests rage
- Key Indian hospital ends stike but doctor rape protests rage
- Djokovic targets Slam record at US Open, Sinner under cloud
- Ceasefire hopes fade as Gaza fighting rages
- Indonesians protesting election law changes clash with police
- Hurzeler backs record-signing Rutter to be a 'big, big' player at Brighton
- Stock markets buoyed by US rate cut hopes
- England to host Zimbabwe in 2025, Lord's to stage first women's Test in 2026
- India's Modi urges peace ahead of Ukraine visit
- 'Let us choose joy!' Oprah Winfrey urges US voters
- Sicily divers seek final shipwreck missing after Lynch's body found
- Israeli police say 4 arrested in settler attack on Palestinians
- Rain delays second day of England-Sri Lanka first Test
- War cook: Ukrainian soldier-influencer with fans on both sides
- Kenya police offer reward for escaped serial killer suspect
- S. Korean drill to prepare for attack met with confusion
- French court dismisses appeal in Agent Orange case
- War-battered Gaza faces uphill battle against polio
- Floods swamp Bangladesh as nation finds its feet after protests
- Asia tracks Wall St. rally after US jobs data, Fed minutes
- Climate change a mixed blessing for sun-starved Irish vintners
- Far-right firebrand Hoecke draws crowds in eastern Germany
- Skiing in a Madrid shopping centre when it's 34C outside
- Exclusive luxury and unforgettable moments: The Hotel Le Méridien Beach Plaza in Monaco
- S.Africa's daredevil autosport of spinning stokes passions
- VP pick Tim Walz lauds Kamala Harris at Democratic convention
- Swift says filled with 'fear', 'guilt' after Vienna terror threat
- Kenyan Paralympian Wawira finds 'courage' in powerlifting
- Five new faces to watch in the Bundesliga this season
- Leverkusen eye repeat after 'magic' title triumph
- Asia struggles to track Wall St up after US jobs, Fed minutes
- 'It wasn't working': All Blacks assistant coach MacDonald quits
- Indonesia's first Paralympic archers take aim at gold
- South Korean pet care goes high-tech with AI diagnostics
- Fragile but unbroken, Afghan glassblowers refuse to quit
- Volcanic eruption grounds flights in New Zealand
- Five things to watch as F1 returns for Dutch Grand Prix
CMSC | 0.4% | 25 | $ | |
BCC | -0.76% | 131.05 | $ | |
BCE | -0.14% | 34.57 | $ | |
JRI | 0.23% | 12.79 | $ | |
SCS | -0.78% | 13.515 | $ | |
NGG | 0.49% | 65.59 | $ | |
RBGPF | 3.48% | 55.22 | $ | |
GSK | 0.23% | 41.945 | $ | |
CMSD | 0.36% | 24.609 | $ | |
BTI | 0.04% | 36.315 | $ | |
RIO | -1.11% | 62.695 | $ | |
RELX | -0.5% | 46.12 | $ | |
AZN | -0.19% | 85.395 | $ | |
RYCEF | 1.23% | 6.5 | $ | |
VOD | 0.18% | 9.587 | $ | |
BP | -0.13% | 33.475 | $ |
Gambia MPs uphold ban on female genital mutilation
Gambian lawmakers voted on Monday 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 threatened years of progress and would have seen The Gambia become the first country to overturn a ban on female genital mutilation (FGM).
Table banging could be heard in the packed parliamentary chamber as MPs rejected each of the four clauses.
"The Women's (Amendment) Bill 2024, having gone through the consideration stage with all the clauses voted down, is hereby deemed rejected," said Fabakary Tombong Jatta, the speaker of the National Assembly.
"I rule that the bill is rejected and the legislative process exhausted," he added.
The bill had been making its way through parliament since March, deeply dividing public opinion in the Muslim-majority West African country.
The text, introduced by MP Almameh Gibba, says that "female circumcision" is a deep-rooted cultural and religious practice, but anti-FGM campaigners and international rights groups say it is a harmful violation against women and girls.
FGM involves the partial or total removal of the female external genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs, and can lead to serious health problems including infections, bleeding, infertility and complications in childbirth.
The Gambia is among the 10 countries with the highest rates of FGM, with 73 percent of women and girls aged 15 to 49 having undergone the procedure, according to 2024 figures from UNICEF.
A UN report from March said that more than 230 million girls and women worldwide are survivors of the practice.
- 'Sets an example' -
"This vote is a significant victory for women and girls in The Gambia," Divya Srinivasan, from women's rights NGO Equality Now, told AFP after the decision, adding that it reflected the country's dedication to upholding gender equality.
"We hope this sets an example in the immediate region as well as in the whole continent," she added.
Amnesty International also welcomed the decision to uphold the 2015 ban.
"In 2015, the adoption of the Women's (Amendment) Act, which criminalizes and sets out punishments for performing, aiding and abetting the practice of FGM, represented a significant milestone in the country's efforts to safeguard girls' and women's rights," said Samira Daoud, Amnesty International Regional Director for West and Central Africa, in a statement.
"It was essential that this progress was protected," she added.
But the rights organisation also said the government must do more to uphold the law and address the "root causes of the issue to change attitudes and norms in order to empower women and girls".
Former Gambian dictator Yahya Jammeh, now in exile, banned FGM in 2015, branding it outdated and not a requirement of Islam.
Parliament later that year adopted the first law specifically banning the practice, which is now punishable by up to three years in prison.
But in reality, FGM has not been eradicated in The Gambia, with the first convictions for performing the procedure only taking place last year.
It was those convictions which caused the issue to flare up in the tiny West African country.
After referring the Women's (Amendment) Bill 2024 to a parliamentary committee in March, Gambian legislators last week backed the committee's conclusions calling for the ban to be maintained.
The report from the joint committee on health and gender said that repealing the ban "would expose women and girls to severe health risks and violate their right to physical and mental well-being".
It also said it had consulted Islamic scholars who confirmed the practice was not a requirement of Islam, an argument commonly used by FGM advocates.
Ch.Havering--AMWN