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Gambian lawmaker Almaneh Gibba launched his campaign to overturn the 2015 ban on female genital mutilation after the country imposed its first fines on those found guilty of the practice last year, Reuters reported.
Despite concerns about the leniency of the sentences – a $220 fine for three women accused of cutting eight little girls – anti-FGM campaigners hailed the ruling as a rare victory against a culture of impunity that generally protects offenders in countries where such mutilations occur.
But the convictions also sparked a backlash among Gambian religious leaders and inspired Gibba to push to overturn the eight-year ban on what he calls female circumcision.
Around 180 civil society organizations signed an open letter in October urging the Gambian government to respect the anti-FGM law.
