Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – The African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) have sent a joint letter of appeal to President Adama Barrow over the death of a one-month-old girl from complications following female genital mutilation (FGM).

The letter, dated 14 August 2025, was signed by senior officials from both continental human rights bodies, including Hon. Wilson Almeida Adão, Chairperson of ACERWC, and Hon. Janet Ramatoulie Sallah-Njie, Vice-Chairperson of ACHPR.

It urges The Gambia to uphold its obligations under African and international human rights instruments to protect girls from harmful practices.

The incident has triggered national outrage. Gambian police confirmed that three women have been charged under the Women’s (Amendment) Act, 2015, which criminalizes FGM. One of the accused faces life imprisonment and has been remanded in custody, while the two alleged accomplices have been granted bail.

“This is more than just a case — it is a national wake-up call,” Emmanuel Joof, Chair of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), said this week. “FGM is not simply a ‘cultural practice’ — it is a criminal offense, a human rights violation, and in some cases, like this one, it is deadly.”

Despite the 2015 ban, FGM remains prevalent in The Gambia. Last year, lawmakers voted against a bill that sought to repeal the prohibition, which would have made the country the first to overturn a national FGM ban.

In a statement, the NHRC stressed, “No cultural or traditional justification should override the obligation to protect children from harm.”

The joint appeal from the ACERWC and ACHPR calls on the Gambian government to ensure justice for the baby and take stronger measures to eliminate FGM, signalling mounting pressure on authorities to enforce the law and protect vulnerable children.