FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION IS A VIOLATION OF WOMEN’S RIGHT; Says Gamcotrap Programme Coordinator

March 15, 2012
Sarjo Camara Singhateh
FOROYAA Online

During the celebration by European Delegation to the Gambia at the Alliance Francais Gambienne, the GAMCOTRAP Programme Coordinator, Amie Bojang-Sissoho , the guest speaker at the International Women’s Day delivered a paper on Female Genital Mutilation in the Context of Women’s Rights in the Gambia.

“It is another important day to bring attention to the situation of women in different parts of the world. We need to reflect upon the lives of rural women and how we inspire girls for a brighter and better future. Women and girls are exposed to many vices that affect their rights as females, one of which is Female Genital Mutilation – FGM. Therefore I would like to bring our attention to the issues of FGM in the context of Women’s Rights in the Gambia,” She stated“
In 2011 alone, using the Cluster Approach, 2,730 men, women and youths participated in 39 activities GAMCOTRAP had conducted, she said. She said thirty-two (32) of these activities were conducted outside the Kanifing Municipality and most of them in remote, rural and semi-urban areas of The Gambia where the prevalence of the practice is high”. She narrated that more importantly, over 80% of them called for a law to protect girls from FGM. “The advocacy for a law has gone far and GAMCOTRAP has been capturing the voices in a Draft proposal for a law against FGM taking into account the recommendations coming from the rural women in particular”. And this document is being drafted and will be submitted to the relevant Government institutions to take it to the next step,” she said. 
GAMCOTRAP Programme Coordinator, Amie Bojang-Sissoho said the Gambia government is saluted for observing this day moreso for ensuring that the Gambia enacts laws to protect Children and Women’s rights. 
“The Children’s Act 2005 and the Women’s Act 2010 are in the right direction to protect and promote the rights of women and girl-children”, Amie said. 
“For twenty-eight years, efforts are being made to understand FGM in the context of women’s rights. One must first of all accept that women have rights and the bodily integrity is one of such rights, which FGM affects. The context of women’s rights starts with the rights of the girl-child and it is the responsibility of the State to protect the rights of its entire citizenry and in this case the rights of women and children from FGM.” She asserted. 
Amie mentioned that there is resistance from some religious leaders who oppose the campaign to raise awareness that FGM is not a Religious obligation and women’s rights issues in general especially, if it is directed at empowerment of women. Some of them she said have influence over the public media, both TV and radio while Women’s Rights organizations fighting against FGM and promoting the rights of women are denied similar opportunities. “Yet most of these people in authority will call for the education of the masses and raising awareness. It should be acknowledged that while educating the people on women’s rights, the public media has an important role to play in providing equal access and opportunities to activists in raising the issues and responding to the debates.” Mrs Sissoho observed that it is through dialogue and debates on social issues that we educate each other on the rights of women and thus influence change of perceptions and attitudes towards women.
She stated that despite the resistance in the public media, direct community outreach has proven to be positive. NGOs have responded to the call to raise the awareness of people and a lot has been done in that area. Mass consciousness has increased about the negative impact FGM has on the sexual and reproductive health rights of women and children. 
“In our community outreach activities, she said, FGM is situated in the context of women’s rights and we raise the consciousness of rural women in particular to realize that:
FGM is a Culture practice and that cultural practices can change when people realize that they outlived their value;
FGM is a not a religious obligation (Farda nor Sunnah) for Muslim Women; FGM affects the Health of Women and Children; FGM Violates the bodily rights and sexuality of women; FGM is Violence against Women and Children and Allah the Creator of the women’s body designed it for a purpose and it should be left intact for such functions”.
“Understanding the dynamics of the decision making processes, GAMCOTRAP takes the Cluster approach in which communities who share cultural ties with the same circumcisers are brought together to reach consensus to protect their girl-children. This approach made it possible for representatives from 564 communities in three regions to support their Circumcisers to stop the practice of FGM.” 
She pointed out that raising consciousness amongst rural women has over the years led to three ‘Dropping of the Knife’ celebrations and the most recent was in 2011 and it took place in the Lower River Region. “To date, GAMCOTRAP has recorded ninety-eight Circumcisers that have dropped their knives and have been supported with grants to engage in alternative livelihood strategies we called Alternative Employment Opportunities - AEO to earn small income instead of cutting girls. They have been recognized for other important roles they play in ensuring social cohesion and development of their communities.” She noted 
GAMCOTRAP Programme Coordinator, Amie Bojang-Sissoho continued to say that, girl-children and women are not completely protected by the laws of the Gambia against FGM; that despite the fact that the Gambia has ratified and domesticated most International and Regional Conventions and Protocols, the legal protection of girls and women from the practice of FGM has been removed from both the Children and Women’s Acts; thus making the ratification of the Protocol to the African Charter in particular irrelevant to the commitments of The Gambia. 
GAMCOTRAP Programme Coordinator, Amie Bojang-Sissoho in her key note address noted that the role of NGOs is to advocate; that it is the responsibility of the Government to ensure that laws and policies are in place and in this case, there is a specific call for a law to ban FGM in the Gambia. There is no need for ambiguity about FGM and hiding it under the general guise of ‘harmful traditional practices’. It should be specific just like early and force marriage or rape has been clearly mentioned in the laws of the Gambia. Not mentioning FGM underrates its importance in the development agenda.
“The challenges in addressing FGM in the context of Women’s Rights are not only denying access to the public media, but even Women’s Human Rights Defenders are being put at risk to silence them. It is time that the government takes stock on how its policies on women and children are being challenged by the very institutions that are supposed to contribute to their effective implementation,” She stated 
“Let me give an example of a recent situation justifying the need for a law against FGM. This year, 44 girls were subjected to FGM in a particular community and two of them bled profusely and ended up in Bansang hospital, the girls suffered. The parents did not want to take the girls to the hospital but when they realized it was not the witches but the loss of blood, they had no choice but to seek help from the hospital,” she said. Amie Bojang-Sissoho noted that when the cases were eventually reported, FGM was not mentioned as the root cause because of fear to be punished by law. It was reported that Malaria was the cause of the anaemia.” Many of such cases make it difficult to get the statistics on the direct immediate impact of FGM on girls. She also said the difficulties of child birth are not immediately recognized by most of the health workers as having something to do with the scars and in some cases keliod caused by FGM.” She stated.
“If the adults of today are to inspire girls in the future, she opined that we have to take responsibility to protect the women of tomorrow, who are the girls of today. The girls of today she said have to be inspired to say no to FGM and defend their rights. Without being pessimistic, let us celebrate the gains made so far and build on them” the GAMCOTRAP Programme Coordinator, Amie Bojang Sisoho concludes.

To read the full article on the FORAYAA 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.”

117 URR communities abandon FGM, other practices

June 14, 2011
Daily Observer
Alieu Ceesay

A total of 117 Fula and Mandinka communities in the Upper River Region (URR) Sunday openly declared they have abandoned Female Genital Mutilation (FGM); and early and forced mariage; among other harmful traditional practices. The declaration ceremony was held at the Basse mini-stadium.

The public declaration was organised under the auspices of Tostan, an NGO that has been operating in
The Gambia since 2006. Tostan works in the area of non-formal education. The occasion was attended by thousands of people among them the governor of URR, Tostan national coordinator, chairman of Basse Area Council, National Assembly member for Jimara District, Tostan regional coordinators for Kolda and Zigunchor, security chiefs and a cross-section of the community.

Speaking at the ceremony, Alhaji AF Jallow, a member of the steering committee applauded Tostan for the great achievement registered in URR since its inception. He acknowledged that the organisation has brought about positive changes in the life of the people. He added that the solemn declaration was a clear indication of Tostan’s unwavering commitment in achieving its mission and vision. Jallow described FGM, early and forced marriage as things that are of great concern and need to stop, considering their long-term negative impacts. He urged the communities to stand by their words, while commending Unicef and the Gambia government for bringing Tostan to the region. Also addressing the gathering, Ello Jallow, from the Office of the Vice President noted that the programme was meant enhance the protection of children’s rights by promoting community efforts to protect such rights.

He told the gathering that harmful traditional practices are a violation of human rights as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Rights of the Child, which The Gambia is a signatory to.
He stated that the promotion of human rights and responsibilities for women and girls are at the core of the Constitution of the Second Republic under the leadership of President Jammeh. Jallow went on to express Gambia government’s commitment to promoting gender equality and women empowerment as key factors to the attainment of the development agendas of the country.

He acknowledged that Tostan has brought about positive changes in the life of the people of URR, while expressing his office’s readiness to support the cause of the organisation. He thanked Unicef for funding the project in The Gambia, while applauding the communities for finally abandoning the harmful traditional practices. He also thanked the leadership of Tostan and staff for a job well done.

For his part, Alhaji Omar Khan, the governor of URR thanked Tostan, The Gambia government  and Unicef for such a tremendous achievement, saying his region has now graduated from absolute illiteracy to a literate region. The governor acknowledged that Tostan has done a lot for the people of URR, and urged the organisation to extend its operations to other regions. He specially thanked Bakary Tamba, Tostan national coordinator; and Molly Melching, director of Tostan for Africa based in Dakar, for a job well done.
Bakary Tamba described the event as the biggest ever in the anals of Tostan-Gambia. He described the declaration as a clear symbol of Tostan’s stance in changing the lives of the people.

He disclosed that since 2006 Tostan has been conducting training for the communities in the areas of health and hygiene, democracy, human rights, and problem solving process, as well as helping them with micro-finance schemes. Tamba thanked the communities for the déclaration, and further urged them to stand by their words. He finally thanked the Gambia government and Unicef for supporting Tostan, noting that a lot have been achieved since 2006.

Other speakers at the ceremony included Salif Jassey of Unicef, Lamin Dibba of NGOs Affairs and Hammeh Minteh Krubally, the chief of Fulladou East. The ceremony was punctuated by cultural displays by different cultural troupes from URR and Senegal. It was moderated by Essa Kanuteh, Tostan supervisor.

“Health professionals essential in efforts to stop Female Genital Mutilation” – declares DPS Health

February 24, 2011
Today: The Gambia
Neneh Galleh Barry

Mr. Omar Sey, the deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has said that female genital mutilation remains a public health concern which beggars the decisive involvement of all health professionals if the crusade against it was to succeed. Mr. Sey who was speaking at a press conference held at the School of Medicine in Banjul exhorted health connoisseurs to play a crucial role in the fight to free the country's women and girls from the pangs of circumcision which leaves severe health complications for victims who sometimes suffer for a lifetime. He said since health workers are in direct contact with the people affected, it behooves them to work in concert with anti-FGM activists to banish this persistent scourge in Gambian communities across the country.

According to the DPS however the capacity of health professionals needs to be enhanced through learning and teaching materials before their role can be rendered effective. He said as part of the process of building their capacities, health personnel should be adequately sensitized on the complications and management of FGM and instead join in advocating for an initiation rite without the involvement of literally cutting the clitoris of women and girls, a cause which he said was being championed by the WGK. He further added that the partnership between different stakeholders of which health practitioners are an integral part should be intensified.

He further said that The Gambia government being conscious of its role in national development is at all times encouraging partners in their service delivery and the Wassu Gambia Kafo (WGK) was no exception.

He described a WGK donation of items to the school as a significant milestone in the drive to enhance the capacity of students and institutions in The Gambia under the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, adding that this was not the first time that the WGK was involved in such a noble gesture.

“WGK as an international NGO operating in The Gambia and Spain and has been fulfilling its commitment which has been recognized by the government through my ministry. The organization is committed to preventing FGM in The Gambia through the training of health professionals and students throughout the country. This has been made possible through the support of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. Statistics from the WHO have shown that, more than 130 million women in the world have endured some kind of FGM practice and suffered untold consequences. It is also estimated that each year, over 3 million girls are at risk of being subjected to this harmful practice, which has strong ancestral roots in 28 sub-Saharan African countries where Gambia is no exception. UNICEF survey in The Gambia has shown that 78 percent of girls and women undergo the practice. This prevalence is driven by deep-seated traditional beliefs, rewards and is perceived to be a religious injunction in a predominantly Muslim country” Mr. Sey explained.

He concluded by thanking the board of directors, management and the entire staff of the Wassu Gambia Kafo for the invaluable contribution to the ministry.

For her part, Adriana Kaplan, the executive director of the WGK said applied research creates new space for university cooperation for development, a fact which she said persuaded them to re-evaluate more traditional practices and evaluate challenges confronting social actors in situations that are sometimes extraordinary and extreme. She said the FGM phenomenon questions their rhetoric and ethical commitment.

She said the role of universities nowadays is to form and shape common opinion about tendencies such as FGM which contribute to hindering the course of development in third world countries such as The Gambia where the practice is still deep-seated. Mrs. Kaplan held that economic growth which takes into account such challenges have a better chance of ensuring the quality of life for a given people.

“University cooperation for development implies knowledge transfer and north-south cooperation to create the necessary conditions for universities in the south to integrate themselves into the international circuit of research and development” she pointed out, adding that building capacities in the field and providing infrastructures are necessary to achieve this goal.

She said since 2007 WGK has been donating important learning materials such as books and laboratory equipment and creating and maintaining a computer lab that has been in operation since 2008.

“Today, we take a step forward donating a laptop and a projector. We know that providing infrastructures is an essential condition in this process, but it is not enough. Building capacities is also crucial, not only at university but also within populations, enabling their empowerment and positions as main architects of their own development” she pointed out.

She went further to say that with this critical approach on university cooperation for development that was started in 1987, the “Translational Observatory of Applied Research to New Strategies for the Prevention of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting” was created in 2008. She said its goal is to implement a comprehensive strategy to address the problem through WGK in The Gambia, and GIPE/PTP in Spain. She said this was possible through a research group from the autonomous University of Barcelona.

“What once was local has now become global” she indicated, adding that establishing ties between immigrant communities and their societies of origin have become necessary in the pursuit of development.

Mrs. Kaplan reaffirmed the WGK's commitment to cooperation for development assuming that sustainable and ethical work is carried out side by side with local institutions, based on understanding and support, and not on compromising their functions.

“The WGK also understand that our role is to transfer knowledge, whose final outcome would be the creation of development alternatives for populations to take advantage of” she posited.

24 Communities Abandon FGM in URR

February 3, 2011
Daily Observer
Alieu Ceesay

Twenty-four communities in the Upper River Region (URR), last Sunday abandoned the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and other harmful traditional practices, at a ceremony held at Sare Ngai Village in Wuli West, URR.

It could be recalled that on the 16th of January this year, 27 Fula communities abandoned FGM. This declaration by the Fula communities came at the end of a three-year community empowerment sensitisation programme initiated by Tostan-Unicef on the harmful effects of FGM and its related issues in our societies. The declaration, however, created a platform for people from all walks of life to witness the outstanding achievement registered by Tostan and its partners in empowering communities particularly the young ones, to get educated and subsequently free themselves from some harmful traditional practices; such as FGM and forceful marriages, among other things.

Speaking at the ceremony, Baba Jeng, regional health director for URR on behalf of the governor of URR spoke of the important role of Tostan in national development and also in the empowerment of women by educating them on human rights, good governance, and problem-solving process among other things. Jeng however called on the communities to stand by their words in abandoning FGM and early or forceful marriages.

For his part, Yaddy Nget, area manager of Family Planning Association in URR, highlighted the importance of the declaration. Bakary Tamba, Tostan country coordinator, expressed delight at seeing another large number of communities declaring their abandonment of FGM and forceful marriages. He challenged the communities to live up to their words. He said Tostan's next target would be the Sarahuleh communities, and expressed hope that they will achieve their objective.

Among several speakers at the ceremony were Sonah Marenah, women's councillor of Wuli West Ward; Adama Bah, women's group president of Sare Ngai; Kalilu Jawo, ward councillor of Baja Kunda; and Chokeh Jallow, alkalo of Sare Ngai village, who unanimously commended Tostan for transforming their lives.

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

27 Fula Communities Abandon FGM, early and forced marriage

January 26, 2011
Today Newspaper 
Neneh Galleh Barry 

Thousands of people converged over the weekend at Sara Alpha village in Tumana District Upper River Region to witness the declaration of 20 Fula communities and seven adopted villages in Tumana-Kantora and Basse- Jimara to abandon the practices of female genital mutilation and early and forced marriage.

The villages are directly in the UNICEF TOSTAN and The Gambia government joint community led sustainable development project for the past three years with support from UNICEF. During the intervention, the 20 fula communities and seven adopted villages have successfully undergone a community empowerment program (CEP) modules on democracy, good government, human rights and responsibilities, problem solving process as well as health and hygiene.

According to the community, before the intervention of the joint project, issues of basic human rights and responsibilities, and in particular harmful traditions which have negative health implication on the welfare of women and girls, were hazy to them. However, with the new knowledge and skills gained from the community empowerment project (CEP) coupled with dialogue, consultation and social mobilization and advocacy activities, the community have now realized and understood the human rights and health implication of  some traditions.

Speaking before the gathering, the alkalo of Kolley Kunda, Alhagie Sarjo Sowe underscored the importance attached to the community empowerment project, implemented by TOSTAN within the URR in Basse. He noted that with the intervention, there has been immense contribution toward changing the lives of the people, adding that the project has also added more value to his community, having created more awareness about issues.

For her part, Binta Jawo, president of community management committee expressed delight that TOSTAN has brought changes in the livelihood of the people in Basse URR particularly in Kolley-Kunda in Kantora.

She further highlighted some of the achievement and development that the project has brought into the district, ranging from mutual understanding among families members, creating more awareness about the traditional life, and its impact to the society in particular to the girl child.

The education received by the community members on the dangers of FGM led to their decision to henceforth abandon the practice. According to her, the reality of the health implications of the practice on women and girl children stared them in face, and they could not but be sorry for having engaged in it for so long.

She also noted that many mothers in Kolley-Kunda were not aware of the importance attach to obtaining birth certificates for their children, adding that with the vigorous sensitization carried out within the villages, many now know where to apply for birth certificates for their children.

Other areas of the project intervention, according to her, were the planting of 80 mango trees. She said the community now understands well the importance of growing trees, a new realisation which saw them engage in a ‘massive tree planting exercise” last year.

According to the chairman of the village development committee, Mr. Saidou Kolley, the project intervention has built the capacities of the community people to tackle some issues by themselves. He said there are expected increases in the economic buoyancy of the people, thanks to TOSTAN. He said both men and women in particularly now engage in business in the weekly markets to improve their livelihood and that of their families.

For his part, Mr. Salifu Jarsey, a child protection specialist at the UNICEF commended the community for their high sense of participation. While noting that the results have been impressive, he urged the Fula communities to double their commitment to the sustainability of the project. Mr. Jarsey added that TOSTAN could continue to have fund through UNICEF with the support of the community. “Therefore, the Fula communities should emulate the Mandika in order for the Sarahule community to benefit from this very important project,” he said, adding that the successful implementation of the project depend on the communities’ participation.

Speaking at the declaration, the deputy governor of URR, Mr. Momodou S. Jallow also conveyed the regional government’s appreciation to TOSTAN, UNICEF and central government for ensuring that the project came to Basse. He then challenged the community to stand by their words, adding that this is the only way that the project could succeed. Mr. Jallow further advised the community to put their newfound knowledge into practice.

Other speakers all commended the director of TOSTAN the Gambia, Mr. Bakary Tamba for brining the valuable empowerment project to their community. They also thanked TOSTAN and UNICEF for coming to their aid at the right time.               

Gamcotrap in Fresh Anti-FGM Offensive in CRR

January 6, 2011

Today: The Gambia's Daily Newspaper

Mustapha Mbenga, CRR

In a bid to extend the frontiers of their battle against female genital mutilation in The Gambia, Gamcotrap has joined forces with the Women’s Bureau to bring the thorny issue of female circumcision to the attention of military officers in Laminkoto barracks in the north of the Central River Region. 

At a two-day training workshop funded by the UNFPA’s country program, fifty participants were sensitized on the issues revolving around the practice in the country and how military officers can join the fight and secure The Gambia from the ills of a practice that leaves many young girls and women physically maimed and psychologically unsettled for life. 

In the opening remarks CRR Governor Alhajie Ganjie Touray acknowledged the “good” work by Gamcotrap to improve people’s awareness on FGM and commended its officials for targeting his region for the latest of their countrywide programme of sensitization which he hoped would lead to better practices which could benefit women and girls.

Governor Touray said discouraging FGM was necessary to avoid physical and mental ramifications which have contributed to setting the clock of progress back for many communities in regions across the country where FGM is still observed and practiced. He reasoned that since FGM was not categorically sanctioned by the Quran, it is up to members of the society to decide for or against it. However, he warned that those who insist on practicing it should bear in mind the consequences for victims.

According to Governor Touray, security personnel are necessarily part of this campaign as they belong to families and communities where the practice is regularly observed. He described it as a human rights abuse, calling for military officers whose duty is to defend people to join in the drive to banish the practice from The Gambia and make it safe for women and girls who have an inviolable right to live free of the fear of post-FGM situations. He said the campaign to wrest the country free from FGM practitioners is bound to be long and hard but posited that the presence of Gamcotrap and other human-interest organizations in their midst was clear evidence of the sincerity with which the issues were being addressed.  He assured his people that Gamcotrap was there to safeguard the interest of women and children. He explained the rationale behind Gamcotrap’s work, which is intended to foster the health of women and children.

He advised members of his community to seek information about FGM and its rapacious consequences before they take their women and girls under the circumciser’s knife.   “There is grave danger in a lack of awareness of the consequences of FGM. This lack of knowledge quite often leads to situations in which victims suffer serious mental and physical consequences, sometimes for a lifetime” Governor Touray starkly added.

The officer commanding the Laminkoto barracks Lieutenant Faburama Njie spoke about the importance of the training targeting soldiers as an important group who could take the fight to their local communities and help change the perception of their relatives who my still hold fast to the practice.  He was categorical in his condemnation of FGM, describing it as retrogressive.

Dr. Isatou Touray, the Executive Director of Gamcotrap explained that her organization has been working in The Gambia for over thirty years in order to stop the circumcision of women and girls. According to her, Gamcotrap’s approach is to create awareness of the FGM in areas of the country rarely ventured by anti-FGM activists to with their campaign. She said by conducting highly interactive sessions with soldiers and other members of society, they hope to reach a wide audience whose contribution to combating the phenomenon is an imperative.

“The World Health Organization has realized that FGM normally affects women during child birth…since then Gamcotrap was proposed in The Gambia in 1984 in partnership with the Women's Bureau. FGM is a traditional that is deeply rooted in some cultures, observed in twenty-eight African countries and the middle east” Dr. Touray explained adding that the presence of Governor Touray and a retinue of security officers for the workshop spoke volumes about their commitment to the welfare of the communities the have been mandated to protect.

Amie Bojang-Sissoho, the coordinator of Gamcotrap’s Information Education and Communication program saw FGM as suggesting a fundamental discrimination against a segment of society. She added: “for the purpose of present conventions, the term discrimination against women shall mean any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of impairing or nullifying the recognition of fundamental freedoms in the political, economic social, cultural, civil or any other field”.

Mrs. Bojang-Sissoho said her organization would remain true to its commitment on FGM but admonished soldiers and members of their immediate environs that they should play a part in the campaign to make it a thing of the past.

Omar Dibba, Gamcotrap’s youth project coordinator called for all sectors of society to  respect and ensure the rights set forth in international conventions protecting the rights of each children against discrimination and other practices which may be injurious to their mental and psychological wellbeing

Circumcisers from Kombo South Trained on FGM and Rights of Women and Children

December 22, 2010
The Point: Gambia News for Freedom and Democracy

Circumcisers were among the sixty participants who have completed a three-day training on the harmful effects of female genital mutilation on the health and rights of women and children. The training held in Tujereng village, was part of the SCS and UNIFEM-supported project.GAMCOTRAP is implementing for the Kombos in the Western Region. 

At the opening of ceremony the Alkalo of Tujereng, Karamo Bojang, noted that even though it is difficult to change attitudes, it is through education and awareness creation that people realize the need to change their attitudes to protect their children. He observed that FGM is an abuse of the rights of girl children because they are not allowed to consent to the practice.  Alkalo Karamo Bojang said it is clear that the FGM is not a religious obligation and he called on the advocates to continue to raise awareness among the people.

For his part, the representative of the Chief of Kombo South, Jerreh Demba of Siffoe village, advised participants to listen, learn and share experiences on the reasons FGM should be eradicated.

Gambian MP Calls for a Referendum on FGM

October 26, 2010

Jollofnews

Abdoulie John

Gambian National Assembly Member Hon. Bora B. Mass of Kiang East Constituency has called for a nationwide referendum on the eradication of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
Honorable Mass believes this will help to address the issues around one of the country’s deeply rooted harmful traditional practices. 

The National Assembly member told JollofNews that it is high time a referendum was organized in order to settle a debate that is dividing Gambians. “Some people are against the practice, but are afraid to voice it out. Only a referendum can help to settle the matter for the betterment of the Gambian people,” he said.

This pronouncement came in the wake of a consultation initiated by the Gambia Committee on Traditional Practices affecting the Health of Women and Children (GAMCOTRAP), an organization that has been leading the fight against FGM since 1984. The goal of the consultation is to facilitate the process for the promulgation and subsequent enactment of a law against FGM in the Gambia as enshrined in all the relevant international, regional and national instruments that the country has ratified. This process will contribute to the eradication of harmful traditional practices that affect the health, wellbeing and rights of women and children, FGM in particular.

For Honorable Bora B. Mass, APRC Member of Parliament, if the “Yes” emerge victorious during the process, it will be a collective idea indicating that the majority of Gambians are against the practice. “A referendum is highly needed to provide legitimacy to any attempt geared towards the banning of FGM,” he said.

This is not the first time that GAMCOTRAP is campaigning for a law reform to ban FGM. Series of activities have been initiated in the past, and are yet to make a significant impact on the position of
the country’s lawmakers, vis-à-vis FGM. The Declaration made in September, 2008, by parliamentarians, calling for a law against the practice is an illustration of this.

According to GAMCOTRAP, the practice is affecting 60 to 80% of women and girls in The Gambia, and that most of the time the justification is based in the Islamic religion or the
Mohammedan tradition.

Arguing that the practice has nothing to do with Islam, Baba Ley, a Muslim cleric who is well known for his long-standing opposition against FGM, said: “Due to the ignorance of our religion, and the sentiments we have for our tribal beliefs, some people have still a conservative stance on this issue.”

Imam Ley pointed to the fact that those who advocate practicing FGM are with the view that a circumcised woman can control her sexuality. But, he said, “God created sex as a gift and wants each and every one of us to like it, to love it, and to enjoy it. Sex is the backbone of marriage. The Holy Quran is asking Muslims to respect it.”

The outspoken Imam denied the fact that FGM is part of the Mohammedan tradition and challenged any Islamic scholar to prove the contrary.

“FGM is a deeply rooted culture, and has been wrongfully related to the tradition of the Prophet of Islam. That is to say that an important issue like this, if it was practiced by any family member of the Prophet, should have been mentioned in the Holy Book,” he argued.

The Gambia was among one the first 25 nations to have ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). It has also ratified the African Charter on the Rights of Women and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC), as well as the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

Each of these instruments made reference to traditional and cultural practices that are prejudicial to the status of children and women. Despite the fact that GAMCOTRAP has made tremendous achievements during these past years in putting the debate at the centre stage of the development agenda, the practice persists in some communities. An electoral consultation as anticipated by a Member of Parliament will certainly help to pave the way forward. 

Time Will Tell

October 26, 2010

New Internationalist Magazine

Dawn Starin 

Rainy season upcountry rural Gambia, is green. It is a warm, inviting blend of a thousand greens. It is a mixture of beautiful, calm, peaceful mingling greens.

Digging beneath the surface, however, it is immediately clear that soil erosion is out of control, crop yield is extremely low, people are poor, many children are malnourished, many adults have type 2 diabetes, pneumonia is common, malaria is widespread, especially amongst pregnant women, and the division of labour is anything but equal in this green landscape. Necessities are scarce. Luxuries are almost non-existent. There are very few commodities here, except time. Time is one commodity everyone has plenty of. Time is relative. People take their time. They have nowhere to go, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with. The hours seem to pass more slowly upcountry, especially for the women.

As I look around and soak in the reality of it all I remember that life, for most of the women, is hard; toiling long hours in the fields, tending domestic livestock and vegetable gardens, gathering firewood, fetching water, cleaning clothes, preparing and cooking food, taking care of children and managing household food distribution. The average rural Gambian woman works at least 16 to 18 hours a day, seven days a week. The workload is never-ending and even during the fasting period of Ramadan, the rural women are still working in the fields, still carrying out their domestic chores and still carrying all the heavy loads on their heads.

Women in waiting

Young girls walk along the paths carrying even younger children on their backs and small bundles of firewood on their heads, practising for their future roles. Up here in the green rainy-season fields, it is very clear that so often women are women and girls are women in waiting. And, like their mothers and grandmothers and aunts and older sisters and over 130 million other girls and women worldwide, most of these young girls will be circumcised. Because no formal studies have been done, it is difficult to estimate how many females in the Gambia have been circumcised. Rough estimates run from 68 per cent to 93 per cent.

In the Gambia, female circumcision, also known as female genital mutilation or female genital cutting, usually involves the removal of the clitoris and excision of the labia minora, by a ‘circumcision doctor’, usually the traditional birth attendant. The girl is usually blindfolded, held down and cut with a dirty razor blade. Anaesthetics are not used and the wound is sometimes doused with bleach, covered in cow dung or smeared with Vaseline.

The type and seriousness of the immediate complications depends on the skill of the circumciser, her eyesight, the sharpness of the instrument used and the co-operation of the initiate; a girl who struggles may be more damaged than a girl who does not. In many cases if health problems develop, they are not seen as a consequence of circumcision but blamed on evil spirits or witchcraft.

Because women are often circumcised in groups with the same dirty razor or knife, HIV could be transmitted between them. Certainly there is a higher incidence of HSV2 and bacterial vaginosis among circumcised as opposed to uncircumcised individuals – whether this is due to the same blade being used over and over again is not clear.

Excuses and lies

Female circumcision has been condemned by the World Health Organization, the United Nations, the World Medical Association, the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics, and the American Medical Association. A group of Muslim clerics and scholars in Mauritania has declared a fatwa, or religious decree, against the practice. In 1999 neighbouring Senegal legally banned the practice. Burkino Faso, Central African Republic, Djibouti, Ghana, Guinea and Togo followed suit. But the Gambia refuses to budge.

In the Gambia, female circumcision is widely accepted and practiced. Over the years I have heard many reasons given to justify the practice. Some people claim it is a duty under Islam; some say that it marks the beginning of womanhood; some say that it is for protection against the evil eye; some say that it is done to reduce a woman’s sexual pleasure and stop her from being promiscuous; some say that it is done to ‘stop the ugly clitoris from growing too long and damaging the penis during sex or harming the infant during childbirth’.

This evening I can hear the drums in the neighbouring village heralding the presence of the female ‘circumcision doctor’. One woman from the village tells me that she has not allowed her daughters to be circumcised and that ‘many people are stopping it now because they are aware of the problems it can cause. Radio programmes tell us that it is a violation against children.’ In some cases, however, the radio programmes may be counterproductive.

I know a father of two young girls who feels that ‘the aid agencies are walking into our country with their ideas and theories and calling female circumcision female genital mutilation. They have no right to interfere in our culture. I was not going to have my girls circumcised but as soon as the aid agencies and the radio programmes said that it was wrong I immediately sent my girls to be circumcised. No one, especially not foreigners who know nothing about our traditions or people who talk about sex on the radio, has the right to tell me what to do and not do.’

Community identity

This father is not alone. There are many, men and women, who view Western opposition to female circumcision as just another form of colonial domination and cultural imperialism.

Unfortunately, the anti-female circumcision messages are also having unforeseen effects. Nene, a rural health worker, explains to me that women are now circumcising their babies because young girls are being taught in schools that circumcision ‘is an abuse against their person’. Mothers and grandmothers, unwilling to put up a fight, now arrange for circumcision when the girls are too young to know better and too small to struggle. The idea that circumcision marks an important step into womanhood is gradually being dispelled as younger and younger girls – some of them only a few months old – are being circumcised.

When the circumcision doctor arrives in a village, the women, old and young, rejoice. The girls, almost always unaware of what is about to happen to them, dance and sing. This secret ritual, seen as barbaric in the West and full of immense joy in some parts of the Gambia, binds the women together. It cements them as a group, separates them from the ‘others’ – the men and the world outside. It ties the initiates to their mothers and their grandmothers and all the women before them. The perpetuation of female circumcision occurs because the mothers and grandmothers insist upon it. It is a traditional practice, maintained by women on young girls so that everyone fits in and no one is considered a ‘freak’. In many communities it would be unthinkable to not be circumcised. Community identity is important. One must conform to the community’s rules and traditions. Being circumcised is considered a necessary part of this. The mothers and grandmothers who perpetuate this practice are not doing so out of cruelty. They are simply re-enacting an age-old custom so that their daughters and granddaughters will become accepted members of society.

‘It has no place in today’s world’

Nene feels very strongly that coercion will not work and that ‘this tradition does not represent the best of Gambian culture. It simply represents what has survived from the past and has no place in today’s world’. She has tried to convince many of the circumcisers that this traditional practice must stop. She is not sure, however, how much success she is having. ‘Sometimes,’ she says, ‘I just feel as though it will never end and generations of young girls will continue to be harmed and violated because of this barbaric practice. Village life may seem exotic to some but for many of the young girls and women here it is full of personal violence and for some of them it is full of death.’

But, I think things are slowly changing. And so I ramble off some facts to Nene. Sitting with her, waiting for the Ramadan fast to break so we can sip tea and eat loaves of tapa lapa bread I say, ‘ten years ago no one ever discussed it. Many men did not even know that it occurred. It was a woman’s secret. It being the operative word. The secret word about a secret world. Now female circumcision is discussed by members of the National Assembly, some Islamic religious leaders are actually calling for its elimination, newspapers are printing articles about it and schools are incorporating anti-female circumcision messages into the curriculum. There are even Gambian NGOs campaigning for the sexual and reproductive health rights of women and children and against harmful traditional practices and they have had success in educating the public and getting some traditional birth attendants to put down their circumcision blades. Don’t you think this is encouraging?’

Looking at me, Nene responds: ‘Our village just buried a two-month-old. She bled to death after being circumcised and the mother blamed it on witchcraft. There is nothing positive or encouraging about that.'

An earlier version of this piece appeared in an essay entitled 'Time Will Tell' in The Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, December 2008