Fatou Baldeh, a FGM survivor and activist, has played a pivotal role in combating female genital mutilation in Gambia, where the practice continues despite a ban. Advocates face challenges, as law enforcement often dismisses FGM as a cultural issue. After Gambian parliamentarians proposed overturning the ban, Baldeh and her organization, Women in Liberation & Leadership, campaigned against the bill, successfully rallying support from survivors and religious leaders. The rejection of the bill in July 2024 underscored the necessity of dialogue around FGM, helping to raise awareness both nationally and globally about this critical human rights concern.
We continue to have those issues where we will have a case, we go to the police and report, and the police would be like, This is our culture, this is our tradition.' So they do not see it as a crime, Baldeh says.
This past year has opened up the conversation: People are talking about it, and that is a positive thing because we cannot end the practice if we don't talk about it.
When this whole issue happened in Gambia, it really made people pay attention.
This was an attack on women's rights, Baldeh says. She and WILL worked with other organizations to fight the bill.
Collection
[
|
...
]