3 women charged over newborn’s death in female genital mutilation case
Story by Susan Mbamah
Three women have been charged in connection with the death of a one-month-old girl who underwent female genital mutilation (FGM). This is the first case of its kind since the country’s parliament voted to uphold the ban on the practice last year.
The West African nation banned FGM in 2015, but a renewed debate about the practice erupted last year following the first prosecutions of female cutters. While the parliament ultimately upheld the ban, many believe the practice continues in secret.
The three women were charged on Tuesday under the Women’s (Amendment) Act 2015. One woman faces a potential life sentence, with the other two charged as accomplices. “Preliminary findings indicate the child was allegedly subjected to circumcision and later developed severe bleeding,” police said. “She was rushed to Bundung Maternal and Child Health Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.”
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The United Nations estimates that about 75% of women in the country have been subjected to FGM. The World Health Organization classifies it as a form of torture. Globally, over 200 million women and girls are FGM survivors, with more than 30 million having been cut in the last eight years alone, according to UNICEF.
Supporters of the procedure argue that FGM is rooted in culture and religious teachings. Religious conservatives behind the campaign to reverse the ban have described it as “one of the virtues of Islam.” Those against FGM say its supporters are trying to curtail women’s rights in the name of tradition.
The chair of the National Human Rights Commission, Emmanuel Daniel Joof, called the incident “a national wake-up call” and added, “Our task now is clear: enforce it (the law) fully and fairly, without fear or favour.”
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Civil society groups, including the Edward Francis Small Centre for Rights and Justice, expressed “sorrow and outrage” over the death. “Justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done, to send a strong message that the rights and lives of girls… are not negotiable,” they stated.
However, a group called Concerned Citizens called on the government to stop targeting female circumcisers. “The people… have consistently expressed, through various lawful means, their opposition to the ban and have instructed their elected Members of Parliament to repeal the said prohibition,” they said in a statement.
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