Female cutting debate in Gambia takes surprising turn: To women’s pleasure (original) (raw)

SERREKUNDA, Gambia — When Gambian lawmakers and religious leaders pushed this year to overturn a ban on female genital cutting, they sparked fears globally that this tiny West African nation might be at the forefront of a regression in the region on women’s rights.

The effort was unsuccessful, and the ban remains in place. But within conservative Gambia, the debate also had an unexpected consequence: A new focus on women’s pleasure.