The Debate On Female Genital Mutilation
Friday 17th February 2006

GAMCOTRAP would like to constructively engage public and opinion leaders on the issue of female genital mutilation – FGM and other harmful traditional practices that are inimical to the health and well being of women and girl-children.

Readers of local newspapers and other sources may be aware that the Muslim World has come to a consensus to address the issue of female genital mutilation strategically. At a two day meeting held in Rabat, Morocco and organised by the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) and the Islamic Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO), Ministers, Politicians and Religious Leaders from 50 Muslim States reflected at the first Islamic Childhood Conference on issues affecting children and wrongly associated with Islam.

The Gambia is a member of both organisations and is well known for leaning on religious arguments regarding women’s rights issues. In-fact the personal status law of the Gambian Muslim woman is governed by the Shariah because the majority of the population are Muslim. However The Gambia is a Secular state.

The outcome of the Rabat meeting resulted to a ‘Rabat Declaration’ which places special emphasis on the issue of Female Genital Mutilation and other harmful traditional practices discriminating girls justifying it with religious arguments to perpetuate those harmful practices.

The outcome of this meeting is significant for Activists and advocates on children and women rights. At the meeting reflections were made and several other related issues such as early child marriage and other related gender based violence are discussed.

The summary of the Rabat Declaration calls all Muslim states to:
Take the necessary measures to eliminate all forms of discrimination against girls and all harmful traditional or customary practices such as child marriage and female genital mutilation.

To protect children from all forms of exploitation, abuse, torture and violence.

These were high on the agenda of the meeting. And the declaration urged all Muslim countries where female genital mutilation is practices to act strongly against the NON-ISLAMIC TRADITION.

Similarly, governments were asked to enact and implement proper legislation’s and formulate where appropriate, national plans, programmes and strategies, protecting girls with reference to the practice of female genital mutilation.

The issue of FGM has been on the centre stage between some Muslim scholars and women and children’s rights activists in the Gambia. The bone of contention was on the religious dimensions where some Muslim Scholars of National Standing have been ambivalent about the stance of Islam regarding FGM. Women’s Rights Activists have always challenged some of the Gambian Muslim Scholars who used their pulpits to encourage the practice associating it with Islam.

Today we are happy that GAMCOTRAP and other women’s Rights organisations as well as the NGO Community including the contributions of the State Department of Health and the International Community in the Gambia are vindicated.

The Rabat declaration resonates with what Women’s Rights Activists have been doing for the past twenty years. GAMCOTRAP in particular has engaged in the advocacy work in the Gambia since 1984. The debate started within the Women’s Bureau as a specialised committee which emanated from the Nairobi Forward Looking Strategies (NFLS) in 1975 through to Dakar in 1984. The Women’s Movement has been calling attention to the effects of FGM on women’s and Children sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girl children.

The biggest stumbling block for the Gambia regarding the issue of FGM was the belief that it is a religious injunction and as a result many women were very steadfast in adhering to the practice.

The Supreme Islamic Council, which is the government advisory body on religious matters affecting Islam has never taken a clear stand about FGM and the Islamic position. This indecisive position has created a situation where some women have doubt on the issues raised by activists and they engage in the practice.

The reason for this is, men are associated with the knowledge of Islam and there voices carry more weight even if they are wrong or ignorant of the issues at state.

We have also encountered subtle resistances from various quarters with regards to the elimination of FGM from some of our National Assembly Members (NAMS) who made their reservations based on what some of the so-called scholars advised them about FGM and Islam. As a result FGM is among the articles under reservation within the African Protocol on Human Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa(The Maputo Protocol). It could be noted that The Gambia placed reservations on all the articles which deals with FGM and other harmful traditional practices affecting the sexual and reproductive rights of women and girls. On the contrary, the Gambia has already signed the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women – CEDAW and the Convention on the Rights of the Child – CRC without reservation. Both documents protect the girl children and women against FGM and other harmful traditional practices.

Similarly, in various government sectors, pockets of resistance regarding the sexual and reproductive rights of women have been observed. In the Gambia Radio and Television Services for example it is an unwritten rule that the term female genital mutilation is always edited. Despite the fact that this terminology was scientifically arrived at by the WHO and other related bodies working on the issues.

There are conscious efforts in some quarters not to recognise the term because some people belief that the practice should continue.

At the same time the FGM advocates are not given access to some personalities at the UN system because they are advocating women’s rights and gender based violence. This has nothing to do with those personalities per se but the intermediaries between them and the women’s movement who see themselves in such strategic positions subterfuge the efforts being made to liberate women and children. A responsibility GAMCOTRAP feels should be the responsibility of every citizen in responsible position of power to facilitate a positive change for women. There is a need to look at the gender disparity in the UN system in the Gambia.

In conclusion, we call on the State to clarify its position on the Rabat Declaration on FGM as a member of both OIC and ISESCO. We also call on the Supreme Islamic Council to make its stance clear with regards to the Rabat Declaration, which declares FGM as a NON-ISLAMIC TRADITION.

The Rabat Declaration on FGM reached by members of the Organization of Islamic Conference OIC and the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization – ISESCO has confirmed that despite patriarchal resistance, women have to take up their own struggles and in the long run knowledge will reveal the truth and nothing else.