In its bid to accelerate the abandonment of FGM, the Gambia Committee on Traditional Practices an
d Affecting the Health of Women and Children (GAMCOTRAP) will conduct its first activity for 50 circumcisers and their assistants in Essau village in the Lower Niumi District from 27 to 29 March 2017.
This was revealed in a press release issued by GAMCOTRAP yesterday.
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in collaboration with the Gambia Government continue to support GAMCOTRAP in its bid to continue its social mobilization activities in the North Bank Region educating community members on the consequences of FGM and other harmful traditional practices inimical to women’s health and simultaneously popularizing contents of the Women’s Amendment Act on FGM 2015
In line with the goal of the Joint Programme which aims at ending all forms of violation of basic human rights of girls and women and to accelerate the abandonment of FGM in The Gambia, the organisation is also in line with the commitments made by the Gambia Government that signed and ratified regional and international human rights conventions promoting this goal.
One of such convention signed was the AU Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa which was signed, ratified and domesticated into the Women’s Act 2010. As the work on FGM intensified, The Government of The Gambia enacted a law criminalizing the act in 2015 which is still valid and operational.
In its 2017 Country Programme, activities are geared towards supporting the Government’s obligation to eradicate FGM and other harmful traditional practices affecting sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and the girl-child in The Gambia within its project entitled “Accelerating the abandonment of FGM in The Gambia”.
This is a continuation of a two year project being implemented in the three districts of the North Bank Region namely: Lower Niumi, Upper Niumi and Jokadu districts. Activities will target different groups. Amongst these are circumcisers and their assistants who are the primary custodians of FGM, community leaders, religious scholars, women leaders, women of reproductive age, traditional birth attendants, and young people who will be identified by their communities to attend the meetings.
GAMCOTRAP will take a holistic approach in implementing the project during all phases. It will partner with District Chiefs and members of the community with a view to providing accurate information and empower target groups to lead the change that would promote and protect women and girl-children from all harmful practices and other forms of gender based violence.
The first activity will be conducted for 50 circumcisers and their assistants in Essau village in the Lower Niumi District from 27th to the 29th March 2017.
