The Guardian view on tackling FGM: as progress slows, efforts must be redoubled

In Sierra Leone – where FGM remains legal – three girls have died in cutting ceremonies this year. There are no health benefits to the practice, which involves the partial or total removal of the external female genitalia. All forms are associated with increased long- and short-term health risks. Alarmingly, MPs in the Gambia initially approved an attempt to overturn a ban on FGM this summer. Almameh Gibba, the legislator responsible, said he wanted to “uphold religious loyalty and safeguard cultural norms and values”. The country would have been the first to reverse protective legislation, setting an alarming precedent: it took determined activism by campaigners to see off the threat. According to UN estimates, as many as three-quarters of Gambian women between 15 and 49 have undergone the practice. The rate in Sierra Leone is believed to be even higher. Legislation is necessary to protect girls, though enforcement and education are also crucial.