The event was in a form of procession was held at the Youth Monument in Westfield.
Addressing the gathering, Neneh Touray, deputy executive director, Gender Equality and Women Empowerment at the Ministry of Gender, revealed that youth are now taking-up the lead in advocating for an end to the practice, using their voices to challenge long-standing harmful practice and to promote the rights of their peers.
She acknowledged that their courage, activism and dedication to this cause gives them hope for a future of this country, where FGM will be thing of the past.
"As we observe the International Day for Zero Tolerance for FGM, let us see ourselves today to redouble our efforts to end FGM in The Gambia," she said.
She called for collective efforts to see to it that every girl in the country grows-up free from the trauma of FGM and be able to live her life with dignity and autonomy.
Equally, she called on all to stand together in the fight for a future where FGM is a thing of the past.
"However, together we can make The Gambia a beacon of hope in the global fight to end FGM. Together, we can build a future where every girl has the right to live free from harm, where every girl and woman has the opportunity to fulfill her potential, and where the rights of all individuals are respected and protected," she stated.
Yadicon Njie Eribo, chairperson of The Association of Non-Governmental Organizations (TANGO), pointed out that the practice is hailed as a religious or cultural practice, but it is human rights violation that affects the health and the integrity of girls and women.
She added that girls who undergo FGM suffer from pain, excessive bleeding, infection and difficulty urinating and for the long term they face sexual and reproductive health issues.
"In extreme cases, they will experience infertility and mental health issues," she added.
She revealed that in the Gambia 8 out of 10 girls undergo this widely cultural practice and this rite affects their lives forever.
To discourage this practice, she noted that advocates in the Gambia have been engaging on series of advocacy activities to discourage and end FGM since around the 1990s.
According to her, as a result of this advocacy, the government of the Gambia finally passed the Women's Amendment Act 2015 banning FGM in the Gambia and under sections 32A and 32B, the act criminalised FGM and set punishments for those found wanting.
Armand Gnahore, deputy UNICEF country representative to the Gambia, explained that FGM is a grave violation of women, adolescent girls and the girl child's fundamental human rights, including their rights to health, physical integrity and dignity.
He said it violates the principles of equality and non-discrimination of the basis of sex and women and girl’s rights to freedom from degrading treatment.
To that end, he observed that this deep-rooted cultural practice is an attempt to control women's bodies and their sexual behaviour, which he said, perpetuates the control of men over women.
"It can also result in serious health complications, including infections, bleeding, infertility, complications in childbirth, and impairs sexual pleasure."
He recalled that last year saw a legal challenge to the rights of every-woman and girl in The Gambia, through the proposed repeal of the Women's Amendment Act 2015 banning FGM.
However this did not pass and he commended the Government of The Gambia and the National Assembly for uploading the law and committing to the end of this harmful practice, to protect women and girls in The Gambia.
