Monday’s vote could make The Gambia the first country to repeal a ban on female genital mutilation. The procedure, also known as female genital mutilation (FGM), involves partial or total removal of the external genitalia. Despite clampdowns, the practice has been on the rise around the world in recent years.

According to a UNICEF report earlier this month, some 30 million women worldwide have undergone the surgery in the past eight years. It occurs primarily in Africa and parts of Asia and the Middle East. The surgery usually occurs between infancy and adolescence to control a woman’s sexual behavior.

The World Health Organization says there are no benefits to the procedure. It can cause severe bleeding and death, and long-term effects include urinary tract infections, menstrual problems, pain, decreased sexual satisfaction and birth complications, as well as depression, low self-esteem and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Jaha Dukureh, founder of Safe Hands for Girls, a local group in The Gambia, told The Associated Press that she fears repealing a 2015 ban on female genital mutilation could lead to further rollbacks in women’s rights. Doucouré said she underwent surgery herself and watched her sister bleed to death.

“If they succeed in repealing this, we know they may pursue child marriage laws and even domestic violence laws. It’s not about religion, it’s about the cycle of control over women and their bodies,” she said.

The prevalence of female genital mutilation in The Gambia has dropped dramatically since the ban, according to the United Nations. Gambia’s former leader Yahya Jammeh surprised activists in 2015 when he banned the practice without public explanation and imposed hefty fines and jail terms.

However, the new repeal bill has the support of religious conservatives, who form a majority in the small Muslim country. “It seeks to preserve religious purity and uphold cultural norms and values,” the text of the bill says.

Almameh Gibba, the lawmaker who sponsored the repeal bill, argued that the ban violated the rights of citizens to practice their culture and religion.

When the first people were legally convicted of performing female genital mutilation on eight baby girls last August, Gambia’s Supreme Islamic Council responded that female genital mutilation was one of the virtues of Islam.

Doucouré said she believed the bill would be defeated, but activists and grassroots groups hoping to stop female genital mutilation still didn’t have enough support.

Male and female activists protested against the repeal bill outside Gambia’s parliament on Monday, while police in riot gear quelled the crowds.

Information for this report was obtained in part from Reuters and The Associated Press.