By Omar Sabally
Youth Organisations and partners recently updated the National Youth Council (NYC) on activities they have been carrying out towards ending Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C), child marriage and teenage pregnancy (Never Again in my Generation) in the country.
The breakfast meeting held at Sunshine Restaurant in Pipeline, was supported by UNICEF. The convergence availed each organisation the opportunity to talk about activities they are engaged in.
Organisations that took part in the meeting included The Girls Agenda, Think Young Women, HeForShe, Beakanyang,Women’s Bureau,Actionaid International-The Gambia, Young Change for a Change, as well as National Assembly Members and staff of the National Youth Council.
Speaking at the opening, NYC Executive Director Mr. Lamin Darboe, stated that youth organisations are central to their work, especially when it comes to health issues.
He added that the platform was to give them a chance to collectively discuss as to what they have been doing as individual and collective organisations with regards to ending FGM/C, child marriage and teenage pregnancy in the country.
Darboe pointed out that National Assembly Members need accurate information from them in order to better represent them. The NYC Executive Director added that they want to influence the law of the country but could not do directly because they are not parliamentarians.
“Our opportunity is to talk to our parliamentarians directly and give them adequate information to better do their work on our behalf”, he stated.
Darboe also said,”We have our own perceptions and concerns beyond the formal settings and can find answers.” He noted that over 58 percent of women in the country are young and need to be protected. He also said that their aim is to ensure that “no woman is hurt in our generation”, saying they also need to bridge the inter generation gab.
In conclusion, the Executive Director thanked the participants for their positive contributions during the meeting.
Ms. Bintou HK Fatty of Women’s Bureau told the meeting that, the organisations’ coordination with regards to the fight against FGM/C, child marriage and teenage pregnancy is limited in the country.
She posited that all citizens should be watchdogs to report issues of FGM/C, child marriage and teenage pregnancy as government cannot be everywhere.
Mr. Momodou Lamin Jarjusey of HeForShe, urged government to set examples on those found wanting of the practice to ensure that others desist from it.
NYC’s Mberry Sonko argued:”We need strong political will, government coordination, shared best practices and religious scholars to come out clear as to whether the practice of FGM/C is religious or not”, so as to eradicate this traditional practice in the country.
Mr. Ebrima Njie of Beakanyang posited that CSOs need a manual guide as well as qualified health workers to communicate with women on the effects of the practice to ensure they abandon it.
Ms. Aminata Jaiteh of The Girls Agenda, wants the issue of cross-border cutting[FGM/C] to be addressed.
