Total number and types of GBV cases recorded by the care institutions in 2017 after verification:

GBV type	Number of cases recorded in 2016	Percentage (%)
Sexual violence	191	41 . 4 %
Economic violence	161	35 %
Psychological/emotional violence	61	13 . 2 %
Physical violence	48	10 . 4 %
Total GBV cases recorded	461	100%

Total number and types of GBV cases recorded by the care institutions in 2018 after verification:

GBV type	Number of cases recorded in 2016	Percentage (%)
Sexual violence	302	65 %
Economic violence	89	19 %
Psychological/emotional violence	33	7 %
Physical violence	42	9 %
Total GBV cases recorded	466	100%

Total number and types of GBV cases recorded by the care institutions in 2019 after verification:

GBV type	Number of cases	Percentage (%)
Sexual violence	217	50 . 8 %
Economic violence	113	26 . 5 %
Psychological/emotional violence	42	9 . 9 %
Physical violence	51	11 . 9 %
Harmful traditional practices	4	0 . 9 %
Total GBV cases	427	100%

39.1,757 Cases from 2016 to 2019 and 863 of the cases are Sexual violence – Rape and other sexual offences (49 per cent) Number and types of SGBV cases recorded from January to April 2020.

Health facility/OSC	Total no. of cases	No. of sexual violence cases	No. of physical violence cases	No. of child victims	Age of adult victims
Bansang Hospital-OSC	3	1	2	1	2
Brikama District Hospital	8	8	0	6	2
Kanifing General Hospital-OSC	51	39	12	34	17
EFSTH-OSC	10	8	2	6	4
Total	72	56	16	47	25

Note: all the 47 child victims are victims of sexual violence out of the 16 victims of physical violence, 15 are pregnant women.

40.The impact of COVID-19 on women and girls is likely to create a parallel pandemic in the area of human rights by deterring progress made towards gender equality and protection of women. The impact is multi-faceted, including lowering the purchasing power of the population, especially for women, who are forced to stay at home because of the pandemic. The specific effect of the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to undermine efforts to end gender-based violence, and is estimated to decelerate progress towards this target by one-third by 2030.

41.A rapid GBV assessment was conducted, led by UNFPA with support from the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare, Ministry of Health, Network Against Gender Based Violence and other agencies, clearly showed an indication of a high rate of domestic violence during the lockdown. The women who are in the informal sectors, small traders, day wagers have economic loss and this has also heightened the risks of GBV. The assessment also identified the already weak protection efforts for the survivors of GBV as well as reduced prevention efforts during the lockdown. In this situation, although GBV issues have been included in the mandate of the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Subcommittee of the National Health Emergency Response to COVID-19 to mitigate, respond and prevent gender-based violence, however responding to GBV to mitigate and prevent is beyond the scope of MHPSS while IASC GBV Coordination guidelines clearly shows GBV responses require multi-sectoral efforts with improved coordination. Multi-sectoral efforts are required nationally by all agencies with a stake in GBV issues in the Gambia from government to non-governmental agencies to eliminate all forms of gender based violence in the country by 2030, a commitment Gambia Government made at the ICPD conference held in Nairobi Kenya in 2019. Furthermore, The Gambia has an international, regional and national commitment with regards to the protection of women and children as outlined in the Constitution, CEDAW, CAT and Maputo Protocol. The Gambia has an obligation to ensure protect, promote and fulfil it human rights obligations and as such all GBV responses should be human rights based to ensure inclusion, participation and that no one is left behind.

Trafficking and exploitation for prostitution

42.The National Agency Against Trafficking In Persons (NAATIP), was established by an Act of Parliament in 2007 to Prevent, suppress and punish those engaged in, the trafficking in persons and to rehabilitate and reintegrate victims of Trafficking. The institution under the period has investigated case of TIP as listed below.

Table for 2021

TIP f or exploitation of prostitutions	TIP for force labour	TIP for organ removal	TIP for force marriage	TIP for other purposes	TIP for unknown purposes	Number of v ictims	Number of p erpetrators
6	42	NIL	NIL	NIL	NIL	48	25

43.Perpetrators of which six (6) where on exploitation of prostitution and forty two 42 on Labour Exploitation. The girls given reintegration package are thirty six (36). The nationals among were (3) Nigerians victims, thirty (30) Gambians victims and (3) Sierra Leoneans (3). The age ranges from 17-28. From the number of cases investigated six where sent for prosecution of which four (4) were acquitted and discharge and two (2) are ongoing in the year 2022.

44.The National task force comprises Civil Society Organization (CSO), Non‑Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Inter Governmental Organization, which meets quarterly to discuss pertinent issues of TIP. The Task force is funded by the American government through the JTIP Fund to support Government efforts in combating trafficking In Persons. Other supporting legislations include the Tourism Offense Act 2003 and Children’s Act 2005 geared towards combating human Trafficking.

Table for 2022

TIP for exploitation of prostitutions	TIP for force labour	TIP for organ removal	TIP for force marriage	TIP for other purposes	TIP for unknown purposes	Number of victims	Number of perpetrators
10	3	NIL	NIL	NIL	NIL	13	6

45.In year 2022 the National Agency Against Trafficking In Persons (NAATIP) registered thirteen (13) cases of victims of trafficking and six (6) perpetrators. Ten (10) are Victims of Exploitation of Prostitution and three (3) were on Labour exploitation.

46.The girls given reintegration for the year 2022 are seventeen (17). Four (4) victims of year 2022 whose cases were registered for reintegration and thirteen of them were 2021 victims registered in 2022 for reintegration package.

The National task force is funded by the American Embassy through the JTIP Fund.

47.Two (2) are of Sierra Leoneans on exploitation of Prostitution, and eight (8) Nigerians. For Labour exploitation two (2) are Gambians and one (1) Sierra Leonean. The age range from 15–42.

48.In the year 2022 two (2) accused where convicted under section 35 attempts of the trafficking in Persons act but punishable under section 28 of the Tip.

Participation in political and public life

49.Section 39 of the Constitution provides the right to vote and be registered for the purpose of voting in elections of a President and members of National Assembly, referendum, local Government authorities and traditional rulers. As provided by the Constitution, voting in election is to be done in secret. The Constitution also established the Independent Electoral Commission which regulates the registration of voters and conduct of elections in the country. In a bid to ensure that elections are transparent and conducted in a free and fair manner, the Independent Electoral Commission has received the political commitment of the Government to guarantee its independence.

50.It is expected that the IEC`s independence and financial autonomy will be entrenched in the new Constitution that will be promulgated after the Constitutional review process is completed. Furthermore, to encourage fair elections and widespread participation of the ordinary citizenry, the Elections Act was amended in 2017 to reduce the exorbitant deposits payable by candidate for elected office. This has had a tremendous effect with the IEC registering a record number of candidates in the National Assembly and Local Government elections. There is a registered increase in the level of participation for the first time in the electoral history nine (9) political parties were registered for the local Government elections of 2018. In addition the 1997 Constitution recognizing the right of women to participate in political and public life as provided in Section 26.

51. In addition, Section 214(4) states that “in the composition of Government, women shall be fairly represented”. The Women’s Act under Section 15 provides for temporary special measures to be adopted by every organ, body, public institution, authority or private enterprise aimed at accelerating de facto equality between men and women. This Section becomes more relevant in the political arena and decision-making at all levels, where women are not legally barred from participating effectively on an equal footing with men, but may not be able to do so due to cultural bias in favour of men, and stereotypical perception of the role of women.

52.In the area of governance, women’s invisibility is pronounced especially in the National Assembly and local government administration. There is only one female mayor and one female Governor out of 8 who of recent has been elevated to the portfolio of Minister, though gender parity is applied in the appointment of Village and Ward Development Committees as prescribed by the Local Government Act in effect, women, who are elected to these committees, are generally prominent females whose interests are to represent women in the committee.

53.In the legislature only 6.3 per cent of National Assembly members are women. In the Executive at the level of Cabinet where vital government decisions are taken, we have three (3) female Ministers.

Nationality

In the absence of the father’s document, the father’s details are not entered in the register, however the child could still be registered and issued with certificate aligned to the mother’s name.

Education

54.Section 30 of the 1997 Constitution guarantees the right to education. All Gambian citizens are entitled to free and compulsory basic education. Furthermore, it is a directive principle of state policy to ensure basic education for all citizens and to provide adequate resources to make such basic education free for all citizens. Apart from the Constitution, the Children’s Act 2005 also provides for the right to education, and an Education Bill is currently being drafted to provide for the management and development of educational services. The right to a free and compulsory education is also enshrined in previous education policies, as well as in the recent policy 2016‑2030. Through universal basic education programmes, the Government is focusing more on improving literacy levels among Gambians than on elite education. In a bid to implement the legislative and administrative measures adopted to provide free and compulsory basic education and to realize Governments policy of accessible, equitable and inclusive quality education for sustainable development, several grants, schemes and projects have been introduced to assist the Government in providing this basic right.

55.With the introduction of School Improvement Grant (SIG), this can be seen as a positive stride towards actualizing the progressive introduction of free education provided for under the constitution and in education policies. The SIG covers the cost of stationary, books and school uniforms for children from lower basic, upper basic and senior secondary education levels. The Grant is also coupled with the bursary scheme for girls that also provides for uniforms and stationary especially for girls in the rural area. In addition, the READ Project, by the Ministry of Education and the World Bank, a grant recently received in 2018 also providing for free text books in schools for both boys and girls. To further ensure that education is made available for all, a Conditional Cash Transfer scheme has also been introduced to provide another form of education with minimum curriculum standards to children and youth who attend non-conventional Islamic schools.

56.The Scheme has been introduced to 17 centres countrywide and aims to provide functional literacy and numeracy coupled with life and livelihood skills. Moreover, these funds are supplemented by regional initiatives and incentives of various types, including special scholarship packages that cover a wide range of costs from fees, uniforms, and books to mentoring. The Ministry of Education was able to build classrooms throughout the country supported by various donors to improve access to quality education for all Gambians. Additional resources from the Education for All or Fast Track Initiative (EFA/FTI) and Global Partnership for Education (GPE) have also greatly contributed to the provision of additional classrooms and provided the impetus to accelerating access to basic education. Also the development of the TVET Policy in the Basic Secondary School Curriculum by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade.

The table below shows the number of schools by type and year.

Number of ECD Centres
2015	2016	2017	2018
1 115	1 141	1 154	1 257

School t ype	2015	2016	2017	2018
LBS	705	718	758	811
UBS	138	150	163	188
BCS	223	240	236	250
SSS	145	160	171	189
Total	1 211	1 268	1 328	1 438

57.There has also been a notably significant increase in school enrolment at different education levels from 104 per cent in 2016 and 112.7 per cent in 2018. This includes Madrassa (Islamic religious schools) enrolment, which is now officially recognized. During the same period, the gross enrolment rate for girls increased from 89.1 per cent in 2010 to 116.5 per cent in 2018 and for boys from 87.5 per cent in 2010 to108.9 per cent in 2018.

	Gross enrolment rate LBE
	M	F	T
2015	99 . 0 %	103 . 5 %	101 . 2 %
2016	101 . 4 %	106 . 7 %	104 . 0 %
2017	105 . 4 %	111 . 8 %	108 . 6 %
2018	108 . 9 %	116 . 5 %	112 . 7 %

58.For upper basic education, the gross enrolment rate increased from 66 per cent in 2004, 66.2 per cent in 2010 to 68.1 per cent in 2013, 68.1 per cent in 2014 and 68.3 per cent in 2015. There has however been a 1.5 per cent decline in school enrolment rate between the year 2015 and 2016 and an increase from 67.4 per cent in 2017and 68.1 per cent in 2018. It is worth noting that the period between 2010 and 2018 has witnessed a steady increase in the Upper Basic Gross Enrolment Rate of the girl-child, from 65.6 per cent in 2010 to 71.3 per cent in 2018. There has on the other hand been a fluctuation in enrolment of boys in upper basic education from a gross enrolment rate of 66.9 per cent in 2010 to 65.5 per cent in 2011 an increase between 2012 to 2015 to 66.8 per cent and a slow decline between with 55.9 per cent to 64.8 per cent.

	Gross enrolment rate UBE
	M	F	T
2015	68 . 3 %	68 . 2 %	68 . 3 %
2016	65 . 9 %	67 . 6 %	66 . 8 %
2017	65 . 0 %	69 . 7 %	67 . 4 %
2018	64 . 8 %	71 . 3 %	68 . 1 %

	Primary completion rate L BE
	M	F	T
2015	72 . 8 %	74 . 4 %	73 . 6 %
2016	74 . 7 %	76 . 0 %	75 . 4 %
2017	77 . 4 %	80 . 0 %	78 . 7 %
2018	79 . 7 %	84 . 3 %	82 . 1 %

59.Furthermore, Secondary School enrolment has improved from 33.9 per cent in 2010 to 47.8 per cent in 2018 with a steady increment in the enrolment of the girl child from 30.6 per cent in 2010, 39.1 per cent in 2013, and 41 per cent in 2014 and to 49.8 per cent in 2018.

	Gross enrolment rate SSE
	M	F	T
2015	42 . 6 %	40 . 5 %	41 . 6 %
2016	44 . 1 %	43 . 9 %	44 . 0 %
2017	44 . 5 %	47 . 1 %	45 . 9 %
2018	45 . 7 %	49 . 8 %	47 . 8 %

60.It should be noted that the education system has improved since the last reporting period. A progressive increase in general enrolment at both the Primary and Secondary schools was registered between the years 2010 to 2018.

61.Government efforts to increase access to education for girl children and expose them to better opportunities in life are reflected in this increment. Through public awareness programs, the government encourages parents to prioritize educating their female children alongside their male children. Moreover, the Gender Training Manual and the Gender Action Pack were revised in 2015 to address emerging issues and improve teaching and learning in schools.

62.The Gambia has ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and domesticated same into a national law and has great strides in some areas. There are three recognized specialized schools for persons with disabilities: St. John’s School for the Deaf, Methodist Special School for children with Learning Difficulties, and GOVI resource Centre providing an education service for the visually impaired. Several Government agencies have been addressing the rights of persons with disabilities. These include the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, the Social Welfare Department, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, etc.

Employment

63.Since the change of Government, several policy reforms have been undertaken to improve the country’s economy. These reforms are geared towards improving fiscal management, which has led to a reduction in domestic borrowing, reduced interest rates, and more resources accessible to the private sector.

64.Several initiatives have also been launched to increase employment and generally improve the living standards of its people. Some of these initiatives are Youth Empowerment Project (YEP); the Make it in The Gambia Project (locally referred to ‘‘Tekki fi’’); the Children on the Move Project; and She Trades Initiative. All these projects aim to improve economic development by promoting attractive employment and income opportunities, particularly for women, children, and youth. These initiatives seek to also control irregular immigration.

65.In 2017, with the funding support of the EU, the Government launched the Gambia Youth Empowerment Project (YEP) which seeks to address the economic root causes of irregular migration by supporting youth employment and entrepreneurship. The project takes a market-led approach to improve the skills and employability of potential and returning migrants according to the demands of the job market and simultaneously creating employment opportunities along Gambian value chains.

Health

66.Strategic intervention is taken to ensure quality health and address awareness on contraceptive and sexual and reproductive health and rights targeting women, and men. Girl and boys to ensure that modern contraceptive is available, accessible, and affordable to reduce unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortion. MoH through the Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) continues to raise awareness of the benefits of RHCS and contraceptive use through information, education, and communication. MoH through RMNCAH has the Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health Policy and Strategic plan to address the prevention of adolescent pregnancy.

67.The Ministry of Health (MoH) through RMNCAH, Kabilo Baama, and the male action strategy create awareness in communities on reproductive and sexual health problems for early reporting to the health facility.

68.MoH has trained Doctors, Nurses, and Midwives to offer SRH services across the country. MoH included reproductive health supplies in the national essential drug list and established a comprehensive approach to ensure sufficient supplies for the country. MoH through RMNCAH ensures the delivery system to ensure reliable supply and the management of logistics information. MoH through RMNCAH Procures contraceptives and other essential RMNCAH supplies and promotes their use through various mechanisms such as community-based distribution. MoH through RMNCAH Ensure availability and use of updated guidelines at all service delivery points.

69.Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) transformed all minor health facilities to provide Basic Emergency Neonatal and Obstetric Care (BEmNOC) services. MoH through RMNCAH transformed all major health centres to provide Comprehensive Emergency Neonatal and Obstetric Care (CEmNOC) services. Collaborate with respective sectors for the 24 hours continuous supply of water and electricity in all health facilities. MoH through Riders ensures Health all hospitals adequately provide referral services and MoH through RMNCAH has designed appropriate age-tailored and context-specific Social Behavioural Change Communication (SBCC) interventions to increase access to information and reach every adolescent (in-school and out of school) and raise their knowledge on reproductive biology, SRH problems, service use, and responsible behaviours.

70.MoH through RMNCAH Promotes SRH information for adolescents in the age range of 10-14 years, SRH information and services for 15–19 years as per their needs. MoH through RMNCAH Enhance the use of mass media, social media, entertainment/edutainment, and recreational activities to disseminate SRH information in a bid to reduce the engagement of adolescents in risky sexual behaviours. MoH through RMNCAH Ensure that all adolescents have access to a comprehensive and full range of SRH services by redesigning the existing structures to make them more adolescent Friendly Centres. MoH through RMNCAH Improved access to the health information on risks for injuries (RTA) and violence (sexual violence/rape and physical fighting) among adolescents and how to minimize the risks.

71.In terms of improved access to the treatment of victims of injuries and violence including psycho-social supports. MoH through RMNCAH create awareness of reproductive age women, particularly adolescents and youth, on the consequences of abortion, how to prevent abortion, and when and where to seek services as per the country’s law. MoH through RMNCAH ensures All women seeking treatment for incomplete unsafe abortion would be provided the appropriate care as per the country’s law. MoH through RMNCAH equipped facilities with equipment, supplies, and trained human resources to give quality abortion care services as per the standard and country’s law. MoH through RMNCAH developed guidelines on the management of post-abortion complications to provide comprehensive services including, counselling on family planning, unwanted pregnancies, and prevention and treatment of complications of abortions. MoH through RMNCAH Increases awareness of the importance of using contraceptives to prevent unwanted pregnancy that may lead to unsafe abortion.

72.The need to ensure women seeking abortion services should be provided with family planning counselling and services to help them prevent an unwanted pregnancy or practice birth spacing. MoH through RMNCAH ensured community and service provider partnerships as well as Public-Private Partnership (PPP) for family planning, prevention of unwanted pregnancies, and unsafe abortion MoH through RMNCAH designs and implements appropriate context-specific information provision (IEC/BCC) mechanisms to raise the awareness of the general community and pregnant women on pregnancy care, birth preparedness and complication readiness, skilled delivery and PNC, including facility-based, community-based, mass-media and printed materials. MoH through RMNCAH developed and provide up-to-date ANC guidelines and standard operating procedures for each level of service delivery points/facilities. MoH through RMNCAH equipped the facilities as per the standard by availing all the necessary laboratory facilities, reagents, equipment, and supplies to provide all components of the ANC minimum package.

73.In the area of strengthening the provision of quality antenatal care (ANC) as early as possible in the first trimester, at least eight times during pregnancy, including the provision of iron-folic acid, TT injection, HB, blood pressure, nutrition, fetal growth monitoring, testing and treatment for HIV to prevent mother to child transmission, management, referral and care of HIV exposed infants from birth to 18months, syphilis, and Hepatitis B. MoH through RMNCAH promotes programs to educate mothers on self-care, birth, and emergency preparedness while emphasizing on gestational diabetes, obstetric haemorrhage, eclampsia, maternal infections, etc. MoH through RMNCAH Provides an adequate supply of iron, folic acid, and MgSO4 to facilities providing antenatal care to be able to effectively manage women with anaemia, preeclampsia, and eclampsia. MoH through RMNCAH Train service providers in other to offer quality ANC. MoH through RMNCAH improves referral linkages from the community to the higher levels of care for the management of pregnancy complications through the provision of community ambulances. MoH through RMNCAH Integrate nutrition information and counselling as well as screening and management of malnutrition during pregnancy, particularly iron deficiency anaemia and Body Mass Index (BMI).

Economic empowerment of women

74.As part of the COVID recovery response, work has started with the women fish processors at the beaches in Gunjur, Tanji, and Brufut around the coastal areas. The project seeks to improve the working conditions of women working in the fisheries value chain to supply fish (processors), to benefit from new fish smokehouses, solar dryers, resting huts, toilets, and stores. Boreholes were drilled in all three sites, and the main challenge such as limited access to water is now solved, while the rest of the work is in progress.

75.The Ministry of Gender Children and Welfare launched the Women Enterprise Fund in October 2019 as part of the NDP flagship projects to strengthen the capacities of 10,000 women and girls in micro, small and medium enterprises which is entirely funded by the government of the Gambia.

76.Women form 52 per cent of the population of the Gambia and are mainly engaged in small and micro-entrepreneurship while being challenged by access to finance and entrepreneurship skills. It is against this backdrop that The Women Enterprise Fund was created to address these challenges in the immediate time and in the long term to create a bank for women. The fund will create employment opportunities for women, reduce poverty and improve economic wellbeing. A legal framework was enacted on the 24th of September 2020 and ascended by the president on the 21 October 2020, to guide the operations of the fund (The Women Enterprise Fund Act). From December to date, the Women Enterprise Fund has trained 10,060 women and disbursed GMD 17 million to 435 women’s groups across the country.

77.In addition, The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare is providing technical and financial support to the Ministry for enhancing its capacity to implement innovative financial solutions that empower women. Since its inception, a training of trainers (TOT) of 100 Staff was conducted on financial literacy, followed by a rollout campaign to 52 constituencies pending 1 constituency targeting 10,000 women.

78.The Gambia is a signatory to the ECOSOC resolution 11(II) of 21 June 1946for the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the Ministry of Gender Children and Social Welfare together with other Government Departments, Civil Society Organizations and Development Partners represented the Government of the Gambia in New York in 2019 and 2022 where a discussion was centred on the progress and gaps in the implementation of the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the key global policy document on gender equality, and the 23rd special session of the General Assembly held in 2000 (Beijing+5), as well as emerging issues that affect gender equality and the empowerment of women. The Member States agreed on further actions to accelerate progress and promote women’s empowerment of their rights in political, economic, and social fields.

79.Over the years, the Ministry of Gender Children and Social Welfare spare headed the commemorations of many International events from 2019 to date among them are International Women’s Day, Rural Women’s Day, 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence, and Zero-tolerance Day to FGM/C. The objective of this commemoration is to reflect on issues affecting the rights and welfare of women, creating awareness and platforms.

80.Currently, the Directorate of Gender Equality and Women Empowerment under the leadership of the Ministry of Gender is developing the successor National Gender Policy 2023 to 2032 with funding from the African Development Bank. It aims at ensuring a society that is characterized by peace and prosperity where women, men, boys, and girls are equal partners and gender equality and equity are incorporated in all spheres of development.

81.The Kabilo Baama is a UNFPA Government of The Gambia Funded initiative that was piloted in the Lower River Region in partnership with the Reproductive and Child Health Unit under the Ministry of Health. The initiative aimed to improve clinic attendance by women and children through the participation of the community as well as enhance the income of women and families through small business initiatives. During the pilot phase, 58 communities in Kiang East and West were reached and 174 women and men were trained in livelihood skills. This has minimized maternal deaths and also encouraged male participation in the care of mothers during pregnancy, childbirth, and blood donations. In addition, early booking, antenatal attendance, and institutional deliveries have improved resulting in positive pregnancy outcomes and limited complications due to pregnancy. Women are also provided with extra time to participate in income generation activities. The project has now been extended to CRR North with support from the West African Health Organization (WAHO) with 180 persons so far trained and similar outcomes are expected in the project intervention areas in the next 2 years.

UNESCO

82.UNESCO funded project on “Female Traditional Circumcisers through the promotion of alternative ways for self-actualization and self-sustenance” supported the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare in strengthening the capacities of 75 female traditional circumcisers to find alternative ways for self-actualization, self-esteem, and self-sustenance through business skills development and start up support. The Project developed research instruments for data collection, analysis, and report writing targeting 40 female traditional circumcisers. A seminar was conducted with 25 stakeholders to share findings of the research to better establish priority areas to articulate strategic support to the female traditional circumcisers. 75 traditional circumcisers were trained on specific income generation and business development skills and provided material support to 20 female traditional circumcisers as start -up capital (in-kind). The final component of the project monitored the procurement and distribution of the support provided to the 20 female traditional circumcisers.

Rural women

83.The Government of the Gambia is committed to providing rural women access and control to productive resources (land, credit, inputs, and implements), and income-generating opportunities including access to justice, health, education, and participation in decision-making processes. With the view to address the issues of women and girls’ limited access to income-generating opportunities, credit, land, etc.

84.Action Aid – The Gambia in partnership with the EU supported the following from 2015 to date; microfinance institutions linked with women to provide them credit and other services in CRR/South. These unions have already mobilized a good amount of money for the registered members.

85.So far, over 1,500 women have been adequately informed on microfinance products and services, about 420 women groups are exposed to credit union concepts and most of them are saving with the credit union. A total number of 78 plots of land have been officially registered for 78 women groups to authenticate their ownership and possibly requirement as a condition for any support. 3 vegetable gardens were established with a fence, water supply, waiting shades, toilets, and multi-functional platforms and over 200 women are benefiting from these gardens. A total number of 6 women are now members of the District tribunals in CRR/South and have received legal and leadership training to make them useful and proactive in their new assignment. Two (2) cooling houses have been built in Brikamaba and Kundang “Mayo” CRR/S for poultry and fish preservation respectively.

86.Moreover, 3 communities have been supported with vegetable production tools and inputs where 50 women enhanced production and productivity. A nursery indigenous tree species is established with 8,390 seedlings to be transplanted. With regards to employment, 15 girls from CRR and 5 girls from NBR are undergoing training at Fandema (MBOLO) on solar installation and management, food processing, and business management. These girls will be deployed back in their various communities to serve their people in promoting marketing and creating new markets for women’s produce and products, the women have been supported to participate in trade fairs for the past 5 years.

87.In strengthening women’s economic initiatives and building their resilience, 53 women were supported with small ruminants, 22 with poultry production, and 35 women with farm inputs and implements. The poultry farmers association for CRR/S is also supported with a cooling house to facilitate storage for their chicken. 10 women were provided with 15, 000 each to expand on their tie/dye and batik after training them intensively on the skill. Another ten women were trained on Para Extension Garden services to provide extension services for other women in their various vegetable gardens. 45 women trained to improve vegetable production and 60 in poultry management and feed preparation. A Series of interactive radio talk shows on issues relating to women’s empowerment, justice, girls’ education, women’s right to productive resources, and women’s participation in decision-making has been conducted.

88.A total of 4,340 women from 120 women groups spread across the three Districts of Niamina East, West and Dankunku were trained and the key output from this training is that women are more informed and knowledgeable about their rights to access economic resources, how to better manage their businesses and how to engage with microfinance institutions.

89.The Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education in collaboration with FAWEGAM and funding from UNICEF supports the education and participation of women in decision–making processes by setting up Mothers’ Clubs in all schools and training on Income Generation activities as well as provided with seed money (D6000.00 from UNICEF, D5000.00 by MoBSE) which is administered on their own. The Adult and Non-Formal Education Unit in collaboration with stakeholders (specifically Literacy providers) also ensures that adults aged 15 years and above who were not opportune to attend formal schooling and out-of-school youths (males and females) are provided with some form of literacy/numeracy and life and livelihood skills. This is done using the codified local languages depending on their geographical location and choice.

90.Currently, there are more than 200 literacy centres across the country being operated by different Adult Literacy providers such as The National women’s farmers Association, World Evangelisation Crusade, Association of Baptists for World Evangelisation, and TOSTAN. Family and Inter-generation learning approaches are also piloted in rural areas. This is a situation where young children of pre-school age and above and their parents are both in the same literacy class learning together. This offers the opportunity for adults and children to engage in lifelong learning and adopt the culture of early reading.

91.Learners are provided with seed money to encourage them to practicalize their literacy and numeracy skills by embarking on income generation activities to improve their socio-economic status. Furthermore, the SDG targets e.g. Target 4.6, which stated that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women achieve literacy and numeracy.

Marriage and family relations

92.Section 27 of the Constitution states that “men and women of full age and capacity shall have the right to marry and found a family”. It further provides that “marriage shall be based on the free and full consent of the intended parties”. The Section, however, does not protect a woman’s right to equality with the man in the marriage or at its dissolution, or any other rights protected under the Protocol or CEDAW. Section 27 should therefore be amended to include a provision on matrimonial equality. This would serve as a resource for women whose rights to matrimonial equality are violated through reliance on personal law. This provision is also subject to the other relevant provisions of the Constitution permitting discrimination in matters of personal law relating to marriage, and the application of Sharia and Customary laws, which are mainly discriminatory as far as family relations between men and women are concerned.

93.Equality of men and women is also guaranteed under Section 28 of the Constitution. It gives women “the right to equal treatment with men, including equal opportunities in political, economic and social activities”. This is a fundamental right that conforms to the main provisions in CEDAW and the Protocol, such as Article 2 (1) (a) of the Protocol and Article 2(a) of CEDAW and which is equally in conformity with Section 28 of our Constitution.

94.Furthermore, the Government of The Gambia in 2016 amended the Children’s Act of 2005 criminalizing Child Marriage and child betrothal. Since the enactment of the law, government and civil society organisations have engaged in countrywide sensitization to popularize the law amongst the general public and law enforcement officials. However whilst the State recognizes that enforcement remains a challenge due to the deep-rooted nature of this practice, it will continue to conduct training of law enforcement officials, sensitizations through the media, and at the grass-root level to encourage reporting of such cases to the police.

95.The Ministry of Women Children and Social Welfare strongly Promote 18 years as the minimum age of marriage, equalizing the age of marriage between women and men and eliminating related exceptions as appropriate; Ending gender discrimination in nationality laws: Uphold women’s rights to equality in nationality and citizenship laws; Addressing discriminatory rape laws: Revise provisions that exempt perpetrators from rape charges if they marry the survivor; Repeal gender-discriminatory personal status laws (one or more of the following: marriage, divorce, parental rights, and inheritance).

96.Due to The Gambia’s plural legal system, matters of marriage, divorce, and inheritance are usually decided in accordance with Sharia or customary law for the majority of the population to whom it applies. Sharia or customary law courts decide about 90 per cent of such related cases in The Gambia.

97.This also means that over 90 per cent of women, (who are Muslim or subjected to customary law), in The Gambia are not protected from discrimination in matters of such nature unless recourse is sought through the common law courts. Even where women seek recourse through the common law courts, the relevant discrimination provisions of Sharia and customary law would still be applied, as a constitutionally guaranteed source of law, under section 7 of the Constitution.

Right to equitable distribution of matrimonial property upon divorce

98.Section 43 (4) of the Women’s Act provides that “in the cases of separation, divorce or annulment of marriage, a man and a woman have the right to an equitable sharing of the joint property derived from the marriage.” This is meant to protect women who are usually evicted from their marital homes by their husbands during a divorce. Under customary law practices in the Gambia, the marital home usually belongs to the husband who decides whether the wife stays in the house after separation, divorce, or annulment of the marriage. This means that in the distribution of property in cases of divorce under customary law, the woman’s contribution (monetary or equitable) to a marital property is not given due consideration. It is thus recommended that Section 43(4) be amended to take into consideration

•The equitable and matrimonial law principle of joint and common endeavour on the part of the parties to develop the property on the understanding that this is a matrimonial property for the benefit of the marriage, irrespective of the date of acquisition of the property;

•The fact that contributions made by the women should be quantified against the total value of the property, taking into consideration the time value of money;

•The fact that even if the woman did not contribute any money to the development and improvement of the property, where there is clear evidence that a man had not been engaged in any gainful employment for the best part of the marriage, and the woman is the sole breadwinner of the family, and the main caregiver for the entire family, her unpaid care work must be recognized in quantifying her equitable share of the matrimonial property.

Climate change and disaster risk reduction

99.The steps taken to integrate a gender perspective into national policies on climate change are the following:

•Gender issues have been recognized in the National Climate Change Policy and need to integrate it national climate change strategies;

•Internationally climate change discussions under the UNFCCC have established a topic called Gender and climate change, where issues of gender are discussed and adopted as a decision;

•Appointing a gender focal point under the UNFCCC at the Ministry of Environment, climate change, and natural resources;

•Inclusion of the Women Bureau in the Technical Working Group (TWG) to supervise the elaboration of the Gambia’s Climate Change Long-Term Strategy (LTS);

•50 per cent of the beneficiaries of the Large Ecosystem-Based Adaptation Project should be women;

•Gender issues are prioritized in the West Africa Coastal Area Management Project (WACA);

•The UNCDF Local Project targets women and girls in its implementation at 8 local communities in the Gambia;

•The Climate Change Early Warning System included women in its pilot sites for accessing and dissemination of climate information;

•Selection of a representative from the Gender Ministry into the National Climate Change Policy Focal Point platform.

100.Measures are taken to ensure the effective participation of women in decision-making processes on climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and land and environmental resource management are as follows:

•Inclusion of the Gender Ministry in the Steering Committee to oversee the Technical Working Group (TWG) to supervise the elaboration of the Gambia’s Climate Change Long-Term Strategy (LTS) and in the National Climate Committee (NCC);

•50 per cent of the beneficiaries of the Large Ecosystem-Based Adaptation are women thus empowering them in decision making;

•the UNCDF LOCAL Project targets women and girls in its implementation at 8 local communities in the Gambia to ensure their skills and finance;

•Conducting training and sensitization sessions that included women and gender groups on Climate Change and its impacts;

•The Climate Change Early Warning System project included women in its pilot sites for accessing and dissemination of climate information in the quest for their participation in decision making.