By Fatoumatta K Jallow
The Network Against Gender Based Violence (NGBV), recently shared its research findings at an annual forum held at the Regional Education Directorate, Region 1. NGBV was established in April 2009 and the membership comprises civil society organizations and government institutions who share the common goals of combating gender based violence.
Presenting on GBV Dr Mustapha Bittaye indicated that ”it reflects and reinforces inequities between men and women and compromise the health, self-respect, safety and sovereignty of its victims; that, it encompasses an extensive assortment of human rights violations, including sexual exploitation of children, rape, home brutality, sexual battering and harassment, trafficking of women and girls and numerous detrimental customary practices; that anyone of these abuses can leave profound mental scars, damage the well-being of women and girls in common, including their reproductive and sexual health and in some instance, result in death. Mr. Bittaye concluded that the pervasiveness of home violence in a given society is the outcome of implicit reception by that society.
Kajali Sonko, Deputy Director of Women’s Bureau, said his recommendations for Government to consider women’s empowerment as a key issue, expands the quality and quantity of choices that women can make; that nurses should be key points of contact for awareness training of health processes and should be trained to recognize and discuss complications of FGM on sexual and reproductive health rights.
