FGM Campaign Gains Momentum in Central River Region (GAMBIA)

January 3, 2012
Daily Observer (Banjul)

The campaign to eradicate Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) has taken roots in The Gambia through raising awareness and building consciousness amongst the people. The Gambia Committee on Traditional Practices affecting the health of Women and Children (GAMCOTRAP) has recently completed a series of training and information campaign activities held in Janjangbureh, Sami Karantaba Tabokoto and Chamen Nainija, all in the Central River Region north.

About 200 women and men benefited from the workshops funded by the European Union / Non-State Actors project in The Gambia. Addressing participants in the various workshops held, the executive director of Gamcotrap, Dr. Isatou Touray informed participants that Gamcotrap promotes the rights of women and children and engage in social mobilisation to dispel the misconceptions associated with FGM and religion, as well as promote the dignity of women.

The training workshops also gave participants the opportunity to engage on issues of female sexuality and of gender-based violence. They were enlightened on the efforts The Gambia has made to promote the rights of women and children by ratifying the United Nations Conventions and the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People's Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa as well as the national laws on women and children. It was however made clear that there is no specific law to protect girls from FGM at the moment but The Gambia has committed herself under Article 5 of the Women's Protocol to enact a specific law to protect girls and women from FGM.

In Janjangbureh, the chief of Upper Saloum, Malick Mbye said the recommendations from the Local Government Authorities including chiefs, Imams, ward councillors, women leaders and circumcisers calling for a law against female genital mutilation is supported because there is awareness in the region that the practice affects women's reproductive health. "We the chiefs would not have participated in these activities if they are not in the interest of our people," he emphasised.

Speaking on behalf of the circumcisers, Haja Tandi Yaffa, noted that even though FGM is deep-rooted, it is through the series of trainings that they became conscious of the effects it has on women and girls. Like most of her colleagues, they were made to belief that it was a religious injunction. Imam, Cherno Muhamadou Dem of Janjangbureh informed the participants that the practice of FGM is not Farda (obligation) nor Sunnah. He observed that people are now aware that there is no honour in the practice because it affects the health of women.

The vice chairman of Kuntaur Area Council and Ward Councillor for Janjangbureh, Ebrima Janko Foon called on parents to take responsibility to protect girls and women from the practice. The health official at the Janjangbureh Health Centre, Kumba Ceesay called the attention of the participants on the impact of FGM on maternal and infant health. She pledged to include FGM in their health talks during antenatal clinics with nursing mothers.

At Sami Karantaba Health Centre, the officer in charge of the health centre, Dodou Sonko informed participants that they are always faced with challenges to help women and children affected by the effects of FGM. He cited a recent case of a girl who died while on referral to a major hospital due to uncontrolled bleeding caused by the practice of FGM.

Speaking earlier at Karantaba Tabokoto in Sami District, Chief Alhagie Kassum Leigh reiterated that FGM is not a religious issue but a traditional practice. He further informed the participants that the chiefs in the region support the advocacy for a law to protect the rights of women and girls from FGM in The Gambia. One of the renowned circumcisers in Sami, Mbuleh Kandeh of Bayaba assured that she has taken the decision to stop the practice but appealed for support for an alternative livelihood.

At Chamen Nainija cluster, women of reproductive age and mainly from Fula communities from thirteen 13 villages participated in the training. Addressing the participants, Chief Alhaji Alasan Davis Cham called on the women to be aware of the impact of the practice on their reproductive health and that of their daughters. He highlighted that religion can no longer be used to justify the practice because people are now aware and the local authorities including all the chiefs of the region have given their public support to the campaign to stop FGM in the area.

To read the full article on the Daily Observer website, click here

GAMCOTRAP celebrates the 3rd Dropping of the Knife in the Gambia and the 1st ever in the Lower River Region

July 6, 2011
The Point


GAMCOTRAP has successfully completed a three year project in the Lower River Region of The Gambia in the campaign to eradicate FGM with constant support from ODAM, a Spanish NGO from Astruria. The outcome of the successful project implemented has resulted to Circumcisers in the region accepting to stop FGM and make a public declaration with their communities.

According to a press release from Gamcotrap, twenty (20) Circumcisers will be celebrated as the “Sheriones Against FGM” on Saturday, 9th July 2011 at Soma, LRR. This will be the third dropping of the Knife celebration organized by GAMCOTRAP since 2007.

In 2008, an Asturian based women’ rights organization, ODAM ONGD, focus on culture and development started partnership with GAMCOTRAP on a three year project titled “Training Information Campaign to Eradicate Female Genital Mutilation.”

Since 2009, over twenty (20) sensitization and advocacy activities have been undertaken under the project period 2009-2011 with support from the chiefs, Area Council, Office  of the Governor, women leaders, community based facilitators and the wider communities in Jarra and Kiang.

The project reached circumcisers and traditional birth attendants, community leaders (Chiefs, Alkalolu and Imams), women leaders, women of reproductive age and youths (male and female) and traditional communicators.

Apart from reaching out to communities in the region, institutions such as the Security and the Local Government Authorities from different Units in the region were also trained on gender based violence and the realization that FGM violates the rights of the child and the bodily integrity of women.

At the institutional level, Local government structures, Coalition of Institutions against FGM and Select Committees on health, and Women and Children also benefitted from the ODAM project.

Through a series of consultations with the Chiefs, women leader and the office of the Governor in the Lower River Region, and twenty Circumcisers from Jarra and Kiang have been trained over the years and their capacity built on Alternative Employment Opportunities in their communities where they can earn income rather than cutting girls in the name of tradition.

Over 1600 people have directly benefitted from the training programmes supported by the Oviedo Council and Axencia Asturiana de Cooperación al Desarrollu (Asturian Agency of Cooperation for Development) through ODAM ONGD in Spain.  This has a multipier effect of reaching at least eight thousand (8,000) people indirectly in the region and has also reached the Spanish citizenship by means advocacy and awareness creation through different campaigns and media coverage.

The project has resulted into awareness about the effects FGM has on women, the rights of women and children, and the realization that culture is dynamic and changes overtime.  The project has also created the opportunity for participants from the six districts of Jarra and Kiang to realize that FGM is not an obligation on Muslim women but a mere traditional practice.  It has been realized that FGM has a negative impact on the sexual and reproductive health of women and they have come to consensus to stop the practice. The project period also created the opportunity for advocacy for a law against FGM.

Local community radio and reporters from different media houses have given full support to the project implementation and GAMCOTRAP would like to thank them for their contributions.

GAMCOTRAP would like to thank the Government of The Gambia for creating the enabling environment for reaching out to the people and empower them with information to make the right choices and decision.

“Also special thanks to UNFPA, Global Fund for Women and the American Embassy Women for Action Project whose support made it possible to reach out to some of the targets the ODAM project could not reach in the Lower River Region. Indeed, thank you ODAM ONGD and Partners in Spain for providing the support and to the people of the Lower River Region for accepting that Together We Can! Join us to celebrate yet another milestone in the protection of girls from FGM in The Gambia.”

Naini District Head Circumciser Declares No to FGM

January 31, 2011
Foroyaa Newspaper: The Gambia

The head female circumciser in the Niani District Na Jontang Jawneh has declared to stop practising Female Genital Mutilation. This declaration was made during a series of training workshops organised in Bakadagi Mandinka and Kuntaur Jakaba in the Naini District. The workshops organised by GAMCOTRAP were funded by UNFPA joint programme for the acceleration of the abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation in one generation in Africa. Bakadagi Mandinka hosted 10 other communities in the cluster, while Jakaba hosted fifteen (15) Communities.

GAMCOTRAP was welcomed in a fan fare of Kankurang dance at Bakadajie Mandinka which hosted Circumcisers, Traditional Birth Attendants and Women Leaders from other surrounding communities in the cluster. At Jakaba participants of the reproductive age from 15 communities were reached to raise their consciousness on the effects of Female Genital Mutilation, Gender Based Violence and Rights of Women and Children amongst others.

Speaking on Islam, FGM and the rights of women and children, religious scholar Oustass Abubacarr Kanteh noted that FGM is not an obligation in Islam and parents have responsibility to protect their children from all forms of harmful practices. Oustass Kanteh further noted that Islam promotes knowledge seeking and called on parents to educate their children - girls in particular. He cautioned parents to stop early and forced marriages and take responsibility to educate their daughters as education is the key to success.

The Executive Director of GAMCOTRAP Dr. Isatou Touray expressed appreciation of the leadership role Na Jontang Jawneh, head of the Circumcisers in Niani district took to publicly declare her support to support GAMCOTRAP in the campaign to stop Female Genital Mutilation - FGM and highlighted the importance of community consensus to protect girls from the practice and all other forms of Violence. The training workshops provided opportunity for communities to discuss women’s rights issues, Gender Based Violence and FGM in the context of sexual and reproductive health. Several participants gave testimonies on the issues raised during the training and contributed to the debate to promote and protect women and children’s rights.

Participants from both training programmes came to consensus to stop FGM and pledged to share the knowledge gained during the training. It was noted that gender based violence and sexuality issues were of great concern to women of reproductive age. It was courageous to hear several women share their experiences with others.

Prepared by GAMCOTRAP
January 2011