Overview

• Two women have been arrested after a one-month-old baby was brought to a Banjul hospital with severe bleeding and pronounced dead on arrival.
• Authorities have ordered an autopsy and opened a police investigation to establish whether the infant’s death resulted from female genital mutilation.
• The Gambia outlawed FGM in 2015 with penalties up to life imprisonment if a girl dies, but prosecutions are rare and enforcement remains inconsistent.
• Experts and campaigners report a growing trend of performing FGM on very young infants to evade detection and legal risk.
• Activists warn that a pending Supreme Court review of the ban could undermine legal protections for girls.