Campaigners are celebrating news this week that female genital mutilation (FGM) has been criminalized in The Gambia, a victory which comes in the wake of Nigeria’s recent decision to outlaw the practice. It is hoped that the progressive changes seen in these two African countries will encourage others to follow suit.
President Yahya Jammeh announced on Tuesday that he would outlaw the barbaric tradition of ‘cutting’ girls’ genatalia with immediate effect, and it is thought that his decision is a direct result of fierce and persistant campaigning by survivors of FGM. In October we published the harrowing story of Gambian FGM survivor Jaha Dukureh, who was crowdfunding to raise money to make a documentary about the issue. She told the Guardian:
“I’m really amazed that the President did this. I didn’t expect this in a million years. I’m just really proud of my country and I’m really, really happy. I think the president cared about the issue, it was just something that was never brought to his attention.”
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