Father Divorces Wife Over Daughters’ FGM Refusal
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The woman, whose name is being withheld for safety reasons, refused to allow her two daughters to undergo cutting, saying she did not want them to endure the pain and health risks associated with the practice.
Her decision ultimately cost her marriage.
The events occurred approximately five years ago, when the couple’s daughters were four and two years old. The case illustrates the intense social and family pressure faced by parents who choose to abandon a practice that remains deeply rooted in many Gambian communities.
To understand what happened, this reporter on February 16th 2026, travelled about 170 kilometres from Banjul along the South Bank Road to Wellingara Ba, where the former husband, Lamin Jallow, agreed to speak openly about why he divorced his wife and later arranged for the girls to be circumcised.
A Marriage Divided by Tradition
Jallow said the disagreement began several years into their marriage after the birth of their two daughters.
The conflict reached its peak five years ago, when the girls were four and two years old.
“I told her the children should be circumcised, but she said it would only happen over her dead body,” he said.
According to him, repeated discussions failed to resolve the conflict.
“I thought she was going crazy,” he said. “She spoke boldly as if she were the man of the house.” The mother, who comes from the Serer ethnic group where FGM is less commonly practised, remained firm in her decision. She closely guarded the children, rarely leaving them in the care of others because she feared they might be taken for cutting without her consent. But Jallow said he believed circumcision was necessary to maintain family tradition.
“Everybody in this compound is circumcised, so my daughters cannot remain the exception,” he said. After five years of marriage, the couple separated. Jallow later remarried and arranged for the girls to undergo FGM in their mother’s absence.
“I married her; she did not marry me,” he said. “As the head of the family, she cannot decide what should happen to my daughters.”
Despite acknowledging that the practice is illegal in The Gambia, Jallow said this did not affect his decision. “Yes, I know it is banned. People came here and explained the law to us,” he said. “But my position is still the same. I would rather go to jail than leave my daughters uncircumcised.”
He rejected claims that FGM poses health risks and said campaigns against the practice were attempting to undermine culture and religion. “They are manipulating us,” he said. “They want us to abandon our traditions and religion.
In my house, all female children must be circumcised.”
An Illegal Practice with Health Risks
FGM has been illegal in The Gambia since 2015 under the Women’s (Amendment) Act, which prescribes fines and prison sentences of up to three years for those who perform or facilitate the procedure. Despite the ban, the practice continues in many rural areas. Although enforcement has been limited, a 2023 conviction of three women for cutting infant girls ' genitals reignited national debate. A 2024 attempt by some lawmakers to repeal the ban was later abandoned after widespread public opposition.
This has left the law active in the Gambian law books. Despite failed attempts in 2024, some legislators and pro-FGM campaigners have turned to the Supreme Court of The Gambia to challenge the legality of this law in The Gambia.
Internationally, The Gambia has signed and ratified several protocols and conventions on the rights of women, girls and children over several past decades.
Globally, more than 230 million girls and women are estimated to have undergone FGM, most commonly between infancy and age 15. Medical experts warn that FGM can cause severe bleeding, infections, urinary problems and complications during childbirth.
Research cited by WHO indicates that women who have undergone FGM are significantly more likely to experience obstructed labour and heavy bleeding during delivery, and may require emergency caesarean sections.
A Practice Rooted in Social Expectations
In many rural communities across The Gambia, FGM is closely linked to ideas about marriageability, cleanliness and social acceptance. Families who refuse to cut their daughters may face pressure from relatives and neighbours, and in some cases social isolation.
Traditional circumcisers, often elderly women, continue to play an influential role in maintaining the practice.
For some families, the decision to abandon FGM can come at a high personal cost.
In Wellingara Ba, that cost was the end of a marriage.
For the mother who refused, protecting her daughters meant losing her home and family — a sacrifice that reflects the difficult choices faced by those challenging long-standing traditions.
This article is part of the Breaking the Silence: Voices of FGM Survivors Project, supported by the Foundation for Women’s Health Research and Development (FORWARD UK).
Author; Nelson Manneh
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