By Omar Bah
For Fatou Baldeh, the past year was crucial in the fight to end female genital mutilation (FGM). A survivor herself and the founder of the organization Women in Liberation & Leadership (WILL), Baldeh, 41, is a prominent activist against this practice in the Gambia. Although FGM has been banned in her country since 2015, it still occurs; approximately 75% of women and girls aged 15 to 49 have undergone the procedure, according to the United Nations Population Fund. FGM can lead to long-lasting health effects and is internationally recognized as a human rights violation.
Advocates argue that the law prohibiting the practice is poorly enforced. “We continue to face situations where we report cases to the police, and their response is, ‘This is our culture; this is our tradition.’ They do not see it as a crime,” Baldeh explains.
In the past year, Gambian parliamentarians considered a bill to overturn the ban on FGM. “This was an attack on women’s rights,” Baldeh asserts. She and WILL collaborated with other organizations to oppose the bill. They connected with survivors who shared their experiences with parliament members and engaged in discussions with religious leaders. They also conducted a nationwide study to document the health impacts of FGM and presented that evidence to politicians. Their efforts paid off: in July 2024, Gambia’s parliament rejected the bill.
Baldeh states that this past year has sparked conversations about FGM. “People are talking about it, and that’s a positive development because we cannot end the practice without discussing it,” she notes. The news of the proposed bill has brought the issue of FGM back into the spotlight—not only for Gambia but for the entire world. “It’s 2025, and little girls are still being held down while their genitals are cut in the name of culture and tradition,” she says. “When this issue arose in Gambia, it captured people’s attention.”
