The Gambian parliament will on Monday discuss whether to consider or throw out a bill that is seeking to reverse the ban on female genital mutilation (FGM).
If the legislators agree to consider it, the bill will be taken through a committee for further scrutiny.
The bill was introduced to parliament earlier this month by an independent member of parliament, Almammeh Gibba, who said his proposal was aimed at upholding “religious purity” and at safeguarding “cultural norms and values.”
Though FGM was criminalised in Gambia in 2015, some seek to overturn the ban claiming that it violates religious freedom and is against the country's cultural practices.
But local and international human rights groups are urging lawmakers not to consider the bill, saying decriminalising FGM would endanger girls and women.
Over 73 per cent of women and girls aged between 15 and 49 have undergone some form of FGM in Gambia, which ranks among the top 10 African countries where FGM is prevalent, according to the United Nations.
The FGM rate drops to 46 per cent among girls aged 14 and younger, according to Unicef.
Only two cases have been prosecuted and one conviction secured since Gambia's FGM ban in 2015, human rights group Amnesty International says.