The Gambian parliament debated a contentious bill to reverse its ban on female genital mutilation (FGM), a dangerous tradition that is considered a leading cause of death for girls in places where it’s practiced.
FGM has been practiced in The Gambia for generations, and nearly 75 percent of girls and young women are cut, despite a ban that’s been in place for nearly a decade.
Globally, more than 230 million women have been victims of FGM, and Africa accounts for the largest share, with over 144 million. Thousands of young women die every year following the procedure, while others suffer a lifetime of infections, infertility, HIV, severe pain, mental illnesses, and a loss of sexual pleasure.
According to reports, Gambian lawmakers eventually voted in July to reject the effort to reverse the ban on FGM.
A short film follows the campaign of Nobel Peace Prize nominee Jaha Dukureh, a world-leading FGM activist and a survivor herself. She returned to her home country to stop the new bill from getting passed. She and her colleagues toured The Gambia in their pink bus to engage with communities, work with local artists, and bring survivors, former cutters, and doctors to the National Assembly to testify.