Lawmakers in Gambia have rejected a bill that would have overturned a ban on female genital cutting, also known as female genital mutilation (FGM). The attempt to become the first country in the world to reverse such a ban had been closely followed by activists abroad. The vote followed months of heated debate in the largely Muslim nation of less than 3 million people. In Gambia, more than half of women and girls ages 15 to 49 have undergone the procedure, according to United Nations estimates. Former leader Yahya Jammeh unexpectedly banned the practice in 2015 without further explanation. But activists say enforcement has been weak and women have continued to be cut. The first prosecutions occurred last year, when three women were convicted for bringing their daughters to be cut and performing the practice. Gambia’s Islamic body in 2023 issued a fatwa, recommending the lifting of the ban of what they defined as “female circumcision,” as opposed to female genital mutilation or cutting. UNICEF earlier this year said some 30 million women globally have undergone female genital cutting in the past eight years, most of them in Africa but others in Asia and the Middle East. More than 80 countries have laws prohibiting the procedure or allowing it to be prosecuted, according to a World Bank study cited earlier this year by the United Nations Population Fund. UNICEF and WHO issued a joint statement on Monday evening, commending Gambia on the vote which reaffirmed “its commitments to human rights, gender equality, and protecting the health and well-being of girls and women.” [07d27510]
Meanwhile, in Louisiana, the state has become the first in the US to allow surgical castration as a punishment for certain sex crimes against children. The new law, which will come into effect on August 1, 2024, applies to aggravated sex crimes such as rape, incest, and molestation against a child under the age of 13. The sentence is not automatic and will vary from case to case. Supporters argue that the law will deter people from committing crimes against children, while opponents consider it to be a cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the US Constitution. Other US states, including California, Florida, and Texas, allow chemical castration for certain sex offenders, but surgical castration is not currently permitted in any other state. State Senator Regina Barrow, a Democrat, introduced the legislation, which received overwhelming approval in both chambers of the GOP-dominated Louisiana legislature. [1cafa593]