Overview
- Authorities in Gambia are investigating the death of a three-week-old girl, with police treating female genital mutilation as the suspected cause.
- Police reported detaining the baby’s father and grandmother, and said the grandmother confessed to performing the banned cutting with a razor blade and showed officers the location behind the home.
- FGM remains illegal in Gambia under a 2015 law, yet it continues for cultural reasons and can lead to severe complications including infection, heavy bleeding and, in rare cases, death.
- The case follows a separate incident last month in which a one-month-old reportedly bled to death after cutting; one woman faces a potential life sentence and two others have been charged.
- UNICEF estimates more than 230 million females worldwide have undergone FGM, with about 120,000 affected in Germany, where the practice has been a distinct criminal offense since 2013 and specialized clinics such as Klinikum Landkreis Erding provide trained care.