The sight of two severely bleeding girls arriving at the hospital was not new to Dr. Njie. As a medical doctor working in public and private hospitals in The Gambia, he had treated many patients suffering from complications related to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). However, this time, the case was different. The girls had been cut in his own grandmother’s house.

Dr. Njie knew the woman behind the procedure very well—his grandmother had been a circumciser for years. As a child, he watched families bring young girls to their home to undergo the procedure. What he once viewed as a childhood tradition would later become a painful reality in his professional life, as he ended up treating some of the same children who had passed through his grandmother’s care.

In an interview in August 2026, Dr. Njie shared how his experience of witnessing this practice in his childhood home led him to confront his grandmother, ultimately changing her perspective on FGM.

A Childhood Surrounded by the Practice

FGM was not something Dr. Njie first encountered in a hospital; it was a part of his upbringing. Women frequently brought children to his grandmother for the procedure. At that time, he did not fully understand the consequences, but as he grew older and began working in healthcare, his perspective shifted.

Before completing his medical studies, Dr. Njie worked as a nurse in a private clinic. His grandmother would sometimes ask him to help girls who developed complications after undergoing the procedure. He would provide medication and, on occasion, pay for the medicines himself.

These experiences gradually forced him to view the practice through the eyes of a healthcare professional rather than merely as a tradition he had grown up with. Then he became a doctor—and by that time, his grandmother was still performing circumcisions.

The Cases That Changed Everything

One incident became particularly difficult for him to ignore. Two girls who had been circumcised at his grandmother’s home began bleeding severely. Dr. Njie rushed them to the hospital and treated them himself. This was just one of many FGM-related cases that he would eventually handle.

As a medical professional, he advised those involved in the practice to stop, but he struggled with the knowledge of who was responsible without taking any legal action against them. He felt torn between his duty as a doctor and his relationships with the people involved.

For a while, he treated the consequences without confronting the source. That changed one day when he returned home and found his grandmother circumcising three girls. This time, he could not remain silent.

Confronting His Grandmother

Dr. Njie approached his grandmother to share what he had repeatedly witnessed in the hospital regarding the impacts of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). He explained the severe damage it could cause to girls and recounted the suffering of those who had undergone the procedure. However, he realized that simply telling her to stop might not suffice. His grandmother had practised circumcision for many years; it was more than just a job or a source of income for her. It was a tradition passed down from her own mother.

To persuade her, Dr. Njie advanced a different argument. He offered her a monthly allowance if she stopped performing circumcisions, recognising that many families paid her for this service. His grandmother initially rejected the offer, insisting that her motivation was not financial. She believed she was preserving a deeply held tradition.

This response made Dr. Njie recognise that the issue was more complex than just financial incentives. His grandmother also connected FGM to notions of cleanliness and religion. She questioned why her grandson, who had grown up in the same community, was now challenging a practice accepted by generations.

For Dr. Njie, these conversations were challenging but essential. He continued to engage her, frequently revisiting the topic and sharing the medical knowledge he had gained during his training, as well as what he was observing in hospitals. He didn’t give up after her initial refusal.

Then, one day, his grandmother told him she would stop practising circumcision. At first, Dr. Njie thought she was joking, so he waited and observed. Six months later, he realised she was serious. When families came to her house with girls for circumcision, she turned them away, declaring that she had abandoned the practice. The knife that had once been a part of her life was no longer used.

For Dr. Njie, this experience transformed his understanding of the fight against FGM. Hospitals can treat the complications it causes, but doctors cannot always change the beliefs and traditions that lead families to continue the practice.

His grandmother’s decision illustrated the power of conversations within families and communities. His story also highlights the challenging position healthcare workers often find themselves in when confronting practices deeply rooted in their own communities.

For years, Dr. Njie focused on treating the aftermath of female genital mutilation (FGM). Eventually, he realised he needed to address the underlying beliefs that sustain this practice. His most significant intervention did not take place in an operating room or consultation clinic; it happened at home.

Through repeated conversations with his grandmother, he used his medical knowledge to help her understand the consequences of FGM. Over time, he persuaded her to abandon the practice.

Today, every girl who is spared from FGM represents more than just a family choice; she embodies the possibility of change beginning within the very households where harmful traditions have been passed down through generations.

For Dr. Njie, his journey began with treating survivors of FGM and culminated in helping someone he loved become part of the solution.

This story is part of the "Breaking the Silence: Voices of FGM Survivors" podcast funded by the Foundation for Women's Health, Research and Development (FORWARD UK).

Author: Nelson Manneh

PC: AI-Generated