On the proposed repeal of the law banning female genital mutilation in The Gambia

B90242/2024

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on the proposed repeal of the law banning female genital mutilation in The Gambia

(2024/2699(RSP))

The European Parliament,

having regard to its previous resolutions on human rights, in particular on violence against women and children, on sexual and reproductive health and rights for girls and women, on an EU strategy to put an end to female genital mutilation around the world, and on the UN sustainable development goals;

whereas the landmark Women’s (Amendment) Act (2015) in Gambia bans the female circumcision and makes the practice punishable by up to three years in prison;

whereas recently The Gambia has taken steps towards lifting a ban on female genital mutilation (FGM); whereas on 18 March, the proposed law to repeal the ban on FGM passed the second reading with 42 votes to four; whereas no country has lifted a ban on FGM before;

whereas the law to repeal the ban has now been referred to a parliamentary committee that will be examining it for at least three months before returning to the parliament for a third and final review;

whereas according to the 2020 Gambia Demographic and Health Survey, 73% of Gambian women age 15-49 have been circumcised; whereas according to the 2024 UN FGM report over 230 million girls and women worldwide have experienced FGM and live with its lasting effects, which represents a 15 per cent increase, or 30 million more girls and women compared to the data released eight years ago;

Is alarmed by efforts to repeal the Women’s Amendment Act (2015) prohibiting FGM in The Gambia;

Calls on the Gambian parliament to demonstrate its commitment to international human rights law to protect the rights of women and girls, and therefore to maintain the ban on FGM;

Calls on the Gambian government to strengthen its efforts to prevent and address the FGM practice through robust enforcement mechanisms and targeted interventions with communities, as well as strengthening health services and expanding opportunities for women and girls, to address the root causes;

Recalls that under international human rights law, FGM is a human rights violation, and culture and religion can never be used to justify it; reminds that FGM causes devastating consequences that can include chronic pain, infections, depression, birth complications, sexual health problems, infertility and even death; underlines that the repeal of the ban would also as undermine Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5, aiming for the global eradication of FGM by 2030;

Calls on the Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) to step up the dialogue with the Gambian authorities to prioritise the issue of FGM and other practices harmful to women and girls;

Stand in solidarity with survivors, activists, civil society organisations, faith-based organisations, and all those working tirelessly to end this fundamental human rights violation and a form of torture;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Gambian authorities, the Council, the Commission, the EU External Action Service and the African Union.