One man’s meat is another man’s poison best describes the presidential declaration of the ban on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

The FGM ban is highly controversial; attracted celebration from campaigners and outcry from pro-practitioners. But there’s another section of people who simply bite their lips in silence: migrant asylum seekers.

The widespread cultural practice has in recent times become a clutch for women from FGM-practicing countries, including The Gambia.

It is estimated that 25,855 women and girls from FGM-practicing countries applied for asylum in the European Union last year. The main countries of origin for these women and girl include The Gambia.

In September 2015, Jan Bruck, a journalist with Germany’s global news broadcaster, Deutsche Welle, disclosed on Twitter that a Gambian FGM survivor that he interviewed was granted asylum by the British Home Office.

Another FGM survivor in the USA, whose identity was protected by the media, was also granted asylum by the Obama government in 2013. According to her, she left The Gambia in August 2011 because she was fearful for her life.

In 2013, the BBC reporter, Sue Lloyd-Robert was in the country to find out more about one Fatima whose application was refused by the British Home Office. She sought asylum to save her daughter, who was born in the UK, from being mutilated too.

With the presidential ban and eminent legislation to make the practice a criminal offence, ‘paperless’ Gambian women migrants in Europe and America can no longer use FGM as grounds for seeking asylum.

Reports reaching What’s On-Gambia revealed that such people are currently in limbo as they wait to see how far President Jammeh would go with his ban. If the legislation is passed some of them might be deported or asked to leave voluntarily.