By Lamin Fatty
GAMCOTRAP has recently trained and established community surveillance groups drawn from Wuli East, West and Sandu districts, and referred them as FGM free zone areas. The program which was held in Yorobawol in Wulli West district, drew participants from the three districts mentioned above.
In an exclusive interview with this reporter, Musa Jallow, a senior officer from GAMCOTRAP, said the event was meant to establish community surveillance groups in the said districts in order to help fight against FGM.
“The objective of the event is to maintain the gains that have been made within these three districts on three key areas that have been advocated by GAMCOTRAP, which are FGM, forced and child marriages,” Mr Jallow said. That hence it is high time to put structures in place who can serve as ambassadors to maintain the good work in those areas called FGM free zones.
According to Jallow, if some of these structures are not put in place, it will be difficult to eradicate these harmful traditional practices which are still done in secret.
That during the dialogue with participants, some disclosed that the practice still happen even though it has drastically reduced, despite being a deeply rooted culture and knowing that it is prohibited by law.
“Now that it is now prohibited by law, a very few people still engage in the practice by changing their mode of doing it which is in secret. Most of them now do it immediately after child birth,” he disclosed.
