Unicef has said that female genital mutilation is a human rights violation as it announced commitment to supporting government and groups in ending the practice in the country.

The UN agency’s assurance comes as a bill seeking to repeal the practice is tabled in the country’s parliament.

Unicef said FGM is a “human rights violation that causes physical and psychological harm” performed on girls from infancy to 15 years.

“We remain committed to supporting government and other partners, including adolescent girls, to end FGM in The Gambia,” it said in a statement.

The practice was outlawed in the mainly Muslim nation in 2015 under the Jammeh regime. 

Reporting by Adama Makasuba