Jaha Marie Dukureh, a prominent international activist .
By Ramatoulie Jawo
Jaha Marie Dukureh, a prominent international activist against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in the Gambia, condemned the lawmakers who supported the motion to repeal the law against FGM in the Gambia, saying that they should be ashamed of themselves.
She took to Twitter on Monday to react to the motion moved by Honorable Sulayman Saho to consider reversing the ban on FGM in the Gambia.
“Y all should be ashamed of yourselves. FGM is harmful and wrong! It is that simple. And it is the men in our muffins again,” she stressed.
“Today! A member of the National Assembly in the Gambia, Sulayman Saho of Badibu requested for the law against FGM to be reversed because they don’t want to lock up their mothers and sisters, but they are ok with harming and sometimes killing little girls,” said Jaha
Jaha condemned Hon. Saho’s claim that the law was passed due to funding from the West. She called on all development partners, including the United Nations, the European Union, USAID, and the World Bank, to take action against countries that prioritize culture over harmful practices against women and girls. Jaha said that she regrets not running in the last parliamentary election because of this move by the parliamentarians.
“A lot of us are needed in that National Assembly, and I am actually mad at myself right now for not contesting for Halifa’s seat when he retired from Parliament,” she said.