By Wally Bah
The West African State of The Gambia on Tuesday, 10 December 2019, joined the rest of the globe to commemorate “16 Days of Activism” against gender-based violence.
The Day was observed at the Youth Monument situated at the Westfield in the Kanifing Municipality, on the theme: “Orange the World: Generation Equality Stands against Rape.”
The Activism, commemorated from the 25th of November to the 16th of December, annually, is aimed at eliminating all forms of gender-based violence, rape against girls and women in the world.
The country’s Number 2, Dr. Isatou Touray, delivering a statement on behalf of the Gambian leader, avowed that sexual harassment and gender-based violence are very common in offices and other work places, noting that many a time, women and girls are the subject of such violations.
“Women empowerment cannot be achieved if such violation continues to be meted on women. We need to stop and to stop it now,’’ the VP and prominent gender-activist charged.
Addressing the hundreds of women that converged at the Monument, Ms. Wanja Kaaria, the Country Director of World Food Programme, said it’s estimated that 35 percent of women worldwide, have experienced either physical or sexual intimate partner violence, or sexual violence by a non–partner at some point in their lives.
In the same light, she argued, rape is rooted in a complex set of patriarchal belief, adding that power and control continue to create a social environment in which sexual violence “is pervasive and normalized’’.
The Country Director termed gender-based violence (GBV as a life–threatening global health and human rights issue that violates international human rights law principles of gender equality, and a threat to the lasting peace the Gambia has enjoyed for many years.
Madam Kaaria remarked that gender-based violence is the evidence of how systemic inequality between males and females, which exists in every society in the world, acts as a unifying and foundation characteristic of most forms of violence perpetrated against women and girls.
Speaking on of behalf the Inspector General Police, Mr. Mamud Jobe, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mrs. Ramou Sambou, who heads the Gender Unit of The Gambia Police Force, noted that gender-based violence is deeply rooted in the Gambian culture, stressing this could only be eliminated if women and girls are given equal rights as men.
The senior Police officer decried the fact that cases are not reported on time, disclosing “it was just on Monday, 9 December we received a case where the girl alleged that she has been impregnated by her father”.
Is this The Gambia we want? This is too disgusting to hear ,” Officer Sambou lamented, while adding that they are overwhelmed with gender-based violence cases and other harassment meted out to women and girls; “it is too much and they most stop it now”.
