Folks join me to wish our women success on outlawing (FGM) in the Gambia.

Niamorkono.


The Gambia-Gender-FGM             2009-02-23 18:30:46



Gambian women's rights group seeks outlawing of FGM


APA Banjul-(The Gambia) The executive director of the Banjul-based
women's rights group, the Gambia Committee for the Prevention of
Harmful Traditional Practices (GAMCOTRAP), on Monday disclosed that
her organization was sensitizing the National Assembly members on the
ills of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) so that it would be outlawed
in the Gambia.

Dr Isatou Touray said, "female genital mutilation is a gross violation
of the sexual and reproductive health rights of women and girls. It
affects the bodily integrity of women. When children are being taken
to circumcision, they are not usually told what is going to happen to
them".

She continued, "When female genital mutilation is carried out on a
woman, the damage can never be rectified, because it involves the
removal of a very sensitive and essential part of the female genitalia
and the sexuality of the woman".

Madam Touray said legislation against female genital mutilation is
needed to protect and promote the human rights of women and children,
adding that legislation would deter people from engaging in the
practice.

She added that her organization has been working with the National
Assembly members for the past two years for them to pass a bill that
deals with the practice. She said some of the Gambian parliamentarians
do not know much about FGM, and as a result think that it is a
religious injunction.

"We are creating awareness on the existence of the International Bill
of Rights of Women and all other conventions that protect the rights
of women and children, such as the Convention on the Elimination of
all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Convention on
the Rights of the Child and the African Protocol on the Rights of
Women," she remarked.

She added that these sensitization programmes are aimed at ensuring
that when the draft women's bill is brought before the Gambia National
Assembly, it will not face resistance or unnecessary reservations.


ET/daj/APA
2009-02-23

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