3 women in Gambia are charged in the death of one-month-old in female genital mutilation case

SERREKUNDA, Gambia — Three women were charged in Gambia over the death of a one-month-old girl who had undergone female genital mutilation, the police said, in the first such case since the country stopped short of reversing a ban on the practice last year.

The West African nation banned female genital cutting in 2015, but the country was rocked by a renewed debate about the practice last year following the first prosecutions of female cutters. It was the first time the practice — also known as female circumcision and outlawed in many nations — was publicly discussed.

Eventually, the Gambian parliament upheld the ban, but many say the practice continues in secrecy.

Three women were charged Tuesday under the ban, the Women’s (Amendment) Act, 2015, the Gambian police said in a statement p