Gambia Baby Dies After Illegal Female Genital Mutilation
Banjul, The Gambia – A one-month-old girl has died from injuries linked to female genital mutilation (FGM) in The Gambia, sparking outrage and renewed calls for stronger enforcement of the country’s decade-old ban on the practice. The infant, who suffered severe vaginal wounds, was rushed to Bundung Maternal and Child Health Hospital in Banjul earlier this month, but doctors could not save her. Authorities later confirmed that she had bled to death from injuries caused by FGM. The case has shaken the community of Wellingara, about 17 kilometres from the capital, where the baby’s family lives. Police arrested at least three women, including the woman who performed the procedure and the baby’s mother. “She is the unlucky one,” said a grieving neighbour, who attended the child’s naming ceremony a week after her birth. The neighbour, who asked not to be […]