Gambia votes to overturn historic ban on female genital cutting
Gambian lawmakers have voted to repeal the ban on female circumcision by removing legal protections for millions of girls, raising fears that other countries will follow suit.Of the 47 members of the Gambian National Assembly present on Monday, 42 voted in favor of a bill to overturn the ban, sending the decision back to committees before a final vote. Human rights experts, lawyers and women's and girls' rights activists say overturning the ban will undo decades of work to end female genital cutting, a centuries-old ritual linked to ideas of sexual purity, obedience and control.If it passes the final stages, the small West African nation of Gambia will become the first nation in the world to abandon protections against budget cuts.Government committees will be able to propose amendments b...