6 days ago
Baby FGM death in the Gambia ‘should shame us all'
A one month old child has died after being subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM), reigniting anger and concern about the practice across the region.
The infant reportedly died from severe bleeding after undergoing FGM in the West African country of The Gambia.
Nimco Ali, a former Home Office advisor on violence against women and the CEO of the Five Foundation, a grassroots organisation tackling FGM, said the baby's death 'should shame us all'.
'She deserved so much more from us, and from an international community that boasts of caring for women and girls,' she told The Telegraph.
FGM involves the deliberate cutting or removal of external female genitalia in the name of preserving so-called 'purity' and 'virginity'.
Two women have been arrested for their alleged involvement, local police said.
'This is violence, pure and simple'
The death of such a young girl has sparked widespread outrage in the tiny West African country, which officially banned FGM in 2015.
Women In Leadership and Liberation, an organisation which works to protect the rights of women and girls in The Gambia, said: 'Culture is no excuse, tradition is no shield, this is violence, pure and simple.'
Despite the ban, The Gambia has some of the world's highest rates of FGM, with at least 73 per cent of women and girls undergoing the procedure, most of them before the age of six, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Experts say there has been an increase in young infants being subjected to FGM as parents attempt to evade prosecution.
Last year, a bill seeking to repeal The Gambia's 2015 FGM ban, introduced by MP Almameh Gibba and supported by some religious leaders, passed its second reading but was ultimately rejected in parliament after intense lobbying from human rights campaigners.
Mr Gibba had argued the ban violated citizens' rights to 'practice their culture and religion' in the majority Muslim country.
Ms Ali, who is herself a survivor of FGM, said the child's death indicates not enough has been done to enforce the ban, however.
'Just last year, we stood with women in The Gambia to defend the ban on FGM, yet pro-FGM groups, flush with money and organisation, are still winning,' she said.
It comes as the UK government has significantly reduced foreign aid spending on programmes related to sexual and reproductive health and rights, including initiatives aimed at ending FGM, as part of a wider cut to the overseas aid budget.
The allocation was reduced from 0.5 to 0.3 per cent of gross national income in February.
Spending on education, gender, and equality programmes in developing countries has been hit hardest – down 42 per cent from £490 million in 2024/25 to £284 million in 2025/26.
'In 2025, we are still forced to beg for adequate funding for grassroots organisations fighting on the frontline,' said Ms Ali. 'Without serious global backing, more girls will die.'
