Women Leaders in Lower River Region Lead the Charge Against FGM

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In the Lower River Region of The Gambia, women leaders and grassroots groups are turning personal trauma into purpose. Survivors, community elders and young activists are speaking out against the long-standing practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), replacing silence with advocacy, education and the promotion of safer alternative rites of passage for girls.

In many communities, survivors are breaking the stigma surrounding FGM by publicly sharing their experiences. Many have become passionate advocates working to end the practice. Female leaders are also addressing the socio-economic pressures that sustain FGM, such as beliefs about marriageability and dowry expectations, by encouraging girls’ education and promoting alternative livelihoods for former practitioners.

During an interview conducted in February 2026 in her home village of Wellingara Ba, Mrs. Kumba Sabally, a native of Soma in the Lower River Region, expressed her commitment to speaking out against the practice.

“My slogan is: Let’s break the silence and protect the girl child,” she said.

Sabally noted that women-led, community-centred initiatives are gradually shifting attitudes. In some communities, she observed, more women are questioning the practice and encouraging one another to protect their daughters.

In 2015, the National Assembly of The Gambia passed a law criminalising FGM. However, more than a decade later, the practice continues in some communities, affecting young girls and even infants.

According to Sabally, the practice is deeply rooted in culture and tradition, which makes change slow but possible. She explained that many women feel social pressure to conform because being uncircumcised can lead to exclusion within some communities.

“Gradually, we will get there,” she said, noting that some women even choose to circumcise themselves or their daughters due to community expectations.

Sabally emphasised that strengthening women’s groups, commonly known as kafos, could play a key role in accelerating efforts to eliminate the practice. Intensifying training and awareness programs through these groups, she said, would help mobilise more women to participate in advocacy activities.

She also urged local authorities to raise awareness among community leaders about the health risks associated with FGM and to enforce the existing law banning the practice.

“I believe that FGM will eventually be abolished,” she said, adding that continued sensitisation will help communities move away from cultural and religious beliefs that sustain the practice.

Another advocate, Mrs. Bintou Mballow, a survivor and mother of three, is also campaigning for the abolition of FGM. She described it as a harmful traditional practice with severe health implications for women and girls.

She explained that many women experience pain during menstruation, sexual intercourse and childbirth as a result of the procedure. Reflecting on her own experience, she said childbirth was extremely painful and that she would never allow her daughter to undergo the practice.

Mballow noted that advocates have spent more than a decade travelling across the country to raise awareness about the harmful effects of FGM.

She said the practice can have severe and lasting consequences for women’s health. According to medical experts, the removal of the clitoris and other genital tissues can lead to chronic pain, infections and complications during childbirth. In more severe forms of FGM, where the vaginal opening is narrowed, women may experience extreme pain and serious difficulties during labour and delivery.

She added that many Gambian women cannot afford reconstructive surgeries, which are often only available abroad due to limited local expertise. As a result, some women live with lifelong physical and psychological consequences of the practice.

Although she cannot change her own experience, Mballow said she is determined to protect her daughters.

“For those who believe this practice has cultural or religious justification, they need more education,” she said. “My message is that people should stop the practice because it is illegal and can lead to death.”

To younger girls, she offered a simple message: they should not accept being cut because the practice can harm them throughout their lives.

Another woman, Halimatou Bah, highlighted the role that gender dynamics within households can play in decisions about FGM. She explained that while she personally does not want her daughters to be circumcised, her husband has the final say in household decisions.

“In our culture, men often have the final authority,” she said, adding that although she can advise her husband about the health risks and the government ban on FGM, she cannot impose her decision.

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: Eliman Sowe