Target: Fabakary Tombong Jatta, Speaker of the Gambia’s National Assembly
Goal: Preserve nationwide ban on female genital mutilation.
In 2015, the Gambia answered the calls of women’s and human rights activists to end the longstanding practice of female genital mutilation (FGM). This procedure involves cutting all or part of a woman’s external genitalia, which can lead to serious health consequences, and even death in some cases. The then-president’s ban on FGM was hailed as a significant victory, but now this progress is under renewed attack.
An influential religious organization recently issued a decree condemning the ban and urging the country’s politicians to repeal it. Now the Gambia’s governing body is said to be seriously considering lifting the ban. This move would once again possibly force many women into a dangerous procedure they do not want for the sake of fulfilling ancient customs and traditions.
Sign the petition below to counter a step that would represent a major step backwards for women’s rights.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Speaker Jatta,
Infertility, shame, and death: these outcomes are just a few of the consequences women around the world have suffered due to female genital mutilation. Many young girls are forced into this dangerous procedure before they are even five years old. The ban introduced in 2015 empowered a new generation of women and showed them that their voices and their well-being mattered. Please do not take these important gains away.
Reject the efforts to reintroduce female genital mutilation and all of its ill effects into Gambian life.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Amnon Shavit
_2.jpg){kind=link}