The National Assembly Member of Foni Brefet, Hon.Amie Colley, in supporting the motion moved by Hon. Sulayman Saho against the banning of Female Genital Mutilation, said women in her constituency are against the prohibition of the act and have called for the eradication of the act in the laws of the country.
In the sitting of the parliament earlier today, the National Assembly Member of Baddibu Central, Hon. Sulyaman Saho, moved a motion against banning the controversial practice of act, leading to the arrest of some women in the Central River Region.
In support, the female lawmaker argued that it was shameful for her to speak in the parliament about female genital Mutilation.
“As a Muslim woman, I am ashamed to stand in this august gathering to talk about circumcision and the secret of women.
“I am speaking with the voice of the people from Foni Brefet and Gambia. My people said they don’t like the idea of banning female genital Mutilation. What they want is to let this practice be neutralized. If any tribe wants to practice circumcision, you do it. If you don’t want to, leave it,” she argued.
The National Assembly Member of Kiang West, Hon. Lamin Ceesay, also argued to repeal the act prohibiting banning FGM/C in the country. He said that 99.9 % of women in his constituency want to continue practicing the act as a long-standing tradition. He added that what the people do in his constituency is female genital circumcision, not Mutilation.
While moving the motion, the member for Baddibu Central, Hon. Sulayman Saho, argued that the practice of FGM/C should be a matter of choice. He called for a dialogue instead of arresting women.
“I believe it should be a matter of choice instead of Banning it because of funding received from the West; if you believe that to help the women, why not support them with materials for sanitation? Banning the act is like a recipe for discord in our society,” he explained.
Other National Assembly Members supported the motion, including Fatoumatta K. Jawara and Foni Jarrol NAM. No other parliamentary member speaks in favor of the banning of the act.
