MPs vote to kill the Women’s (Amendment) Bill 2024, which had sought to decriminalise the practice of female circumcision.

Gambian lawmakers have voted to uphold a 2015 ban on female genital mutilation (FGM), rejecting a controversial bill seeking to overturn the law, after months of heated debate and international pressure.

The Women’s (Amendment) Bill 2024, which had sought to decriminalise the practice of female circumcision, had passed a second reading in March with only five out of 53 lawmakers voting against it, raising concerns among rights groups that The Gambia would become the first country to reverse a ban on the practice.

The bill has deeply dividing public opinion in the Muslim-majority West African country.

The text of the bill, introduced by MP Almameh Gibba, declared that “female circumcision” is a deep-rooted cultural and religious practice, but anti-FGM campaigners and international rights groups said it is a harmful violation against women and girls.

The landmark 2015 ban on FGM made the practice punishable by up to three years in prison.

Lawmakers on Monday voted again on each of the bill’s clauses before a third and final reading scheduled for July 24, with a majority voting against each clause.

That prompted National Assembly Speaker Fabakary Tombong Jatta to stop the bill moving forward to the final reading.

“The [National] Assembly cannot be engaged in such a futile exercise as to allow the bill to proceed to a third reading,” Jatta said after the votes.

“The bill is rejected and the legislative process exhausted.”

Table banging could be heard in the packed parliamentary chamber as MPs rejected each of the four clauses.

The World Health Organization says FGM has no health benefits and can lead to excessive bleeding, shock, psychological problems and even death.

FGM involves the partial or total removal of the female external genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs, and can lead to serious health problems including infections, bleeding, infertility and complications in childbirth.

The Gambia is among the 10 countries with the highest rates of FGM, with 73 percent of women and girls aged 15 to 49 having undergone the procedure, according to 2024 figures from UNICEF.

A UN report from March said that more than 230 million girls and women worldwide are survivors of the practice.