The court rejected the ban on the grounds that the government does not have the authority to restrict doctors' rights. Female Genital Mutilation refers to several different types of traditional practices that involve the actual cutting and removal of female sexual organs. Clitoridectomy is one form of FGM which involves the total or partial removal of the clitoris. Infibulation is another method of FGM in which the clitoris is removed. In addition, all external genitalia is removed and the two sides of the vulva are stitched together to leave a small vaginal opening.
Complications range from long-term bleeding, infection, stress and shock to death.
These practices affect an estimated 85 to 114 million girls and women who live primarily in Africa, and in smaller communities in Asia, Western Europe, and the United States. Some governments were beginning to follow these recommendations. The Gambian Secretary of Health, Social Welfare and Women's Affairs delivered the keynote address to launch the campaign at the WHO session on March 17, 1997. Also write to the President of The Gambia. Urge him to intervene to take action to ensure that broadcast media can be used to inform the public about the harmful effect of FGM and to promote its eradication.