[4][5] Out of all countries where surveys were conducted, the highest prevalence of female genital mutilation among girls aged 0–14 was in the Gambia.
[8] Human rights experts and lawyers commented on the plans to revoke the 2015 bill, saying it would undo decades of work to end the practice.
[12] Abdoulie Fatty, an influential Imam, paid the fines to release the convicted women from prison and started campaigning to lift the ban on female genital mutilation.
At the same time, the Gambia Supreme Islamic Council published a fatwa that requested the government to reconsider the 2015 ban while condemning anyone who criticizes female genital mutilation.
[1][8][15][16] Following widespread protest and a human rights campaign, lawmakers reversed opinion and voted to keep the ban in place.