By Mariam Williams
International Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA) in partnership with TRIAL International, recently convened a two-day capacity building workshop for Civil Society organisations in The Gambia.
Participants were trained on how to use level instruments to fight against enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and advocate for justice, and the remedies they could ask for.
Mr. John Charles Njie, Chairperson of TANGO had said the only way to know whether democracy is working in a country is when the instruments of democracy are being tested, and “because of the inadequate capacity, they have not been able to do that as Civil Society Organisations”.
“What is seen, in most cases, is that people agitate and protest; then that’s it. But until we get to a point of testing our systems, able to test our judiciary and National Assembly to see how independent they are, we will have a long way to go,” the Chairman of the umbrella NGO grouping in the Gambia, told the audience. Njie divulged that, when took over as the Chairman of TANGO, one of the cries in his heart had been that they, as a nation, have been able to begin to test their systems.
Njie also congratulated IHRDA for taking legal action against The Gambia government when it comes to the issue of the Public Order Act, hoping that very soon it would be heard that Gambia has been found wanting, and the authorities would do what they are supposed to do.
Mr. Edmund Foley, Director of Programmes at IHRDA, said that the overall objective is meant to prevent enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings and as well as to increase the accountability of perpetrators in countries, and also to improve the search for victims.
“It also meant to strengthen the knowledge base of governmental and non-governmental actors in the search for victims of the forced disappearance. First, we hope to look for cases to mitigate and as well build their capacity,” he told his audience.
In his explanation, it’s also aimed to increase the number of cases that they could file and use the judicial mechanism to seek remedies for victims of enforced disappearance and extrajudicial killings and their families; and hope to mitigate these before the national courts and, of course, the competent human rights mechanisms.
The Programme Director disclosed that HRDA also seeks to encourage and fight for fundamental human rights for all persons, and that they see the Civil Society Organisations as key partners. That with the kind support from the European Union and TRIAL International, they were able to conduct this training for institutions and organisations, stated Foley.
The Political Officer, EU Delegates to The Gambia, Ms. Else Boonstra, said inter alia: “This workshop will provide the opportunity for experts to give tangible advice that will contribute to their everyday work, and to strengthen their capacity to hold accountable to those that may be responsible for what has happened in The Gambia.”
She was of the view that it would provide the experts a platform to explain regional and international instruments on enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, mark and document cases, set up practical exercises to work on interview techniques and, more generally, to share their knowledge on how to use advocacy in the search for justice.
