On the proposed repeal of the law banning female genital mutilation in The Gambia

B90229/2024

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on the proposed repeal of the law banning female genital mutilation in The Gambia

(2024/2699(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to Rule 144 of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas female genital mutilation (FGM) is a form of gender-based violence (GBV) affecting over 230 million women worldwide;

B. whereas the recent discussions and votes in the Gambian National Assembly calling for lifting a ban on FGM, which has been in place since 2015, raise high risks for Gambian women and girls and set a dangerous precedent;

C. whereas The Gambia would be the first country to roll back on the criminalisation of FGM;

D. whereas The Gambia signed the Samoa Agreement including a commitment to tackle deeply rooted gender bias and eliminate all harmful practices such as child, early and forced marriage and FGM;

1. Urges the Gambia’s Parliament to vote against the proposed repeal of the Women’s Amendment Act 2015 prohibiting FGM and calls to prioritise the effective application of the existing legal framework; Calls on the EEAS and EU Delegation to warn that such a step would have serious consequences for bilateral relations;

2. Emphasises that the lifting of the ban on FGM in The Gambia would represent a step back and have disastrous consequences in the life of Gambian women and girls, denying their basic human rights such as bodily integrity, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and freedom from torture;

3. Underlines that legalising FGM would be a violation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, all of which The Gambia ratified, and the principle of ‘equal dignity of the person’ guaranteed in the Gambian Constitution;

4. Expresses its support for Gambian and international anti-FGM activists and women human rights defenders advocating for gender equality and ending all forms of harmful practices;

5. Urges the Gambian Government to fund and implement comprehensive national strategies to eradicate FGM, including by implementing educational and awareness raising campaigns targeting FGM root causes, easing access to safe resources for FGM survivors and persons at risk and supporting local civil society organisations and feminist activists advocating to end FGM;

6. Calls on the Commission to scale up EU external funding to promote SRHR, the elimination of harmful practices, including FGM and the fight against GBV and survivor-responsive medical, legal, and psychosocial services in partner countries, by providing funding and political backing to women human right defenders and local civil society organisations;

7. Calls on the EEAS and EU Delegations to systematically address the promotion of SRHR, including the elimination of FGM, as part of the political dialogues with partner countries concerned and coordinate such efforts with other international donors;

8. Urges all Member States to translate the ‘Victims’ Rights Directive’ into national legislation and fully implement it, to ensure survivors of FGM can access confidential specialist support services, including trauma support and counselling, and shelters, in emergency situations in the EU;

9. Instructs its President to forward this resolution.