Unsafe Abortion rips-off Africa of its adolescents and young women

The Solidarity for African Women’s Rights (SOAWR)  in partnership with IPAS Africa Alliance– an organization protecting women’s health  and advancing women’s reproductive rights in collaboration with Equal Now African region organized a two day workshop on unsafe abortion at the Hilton hotel in Nairobi, Kenya from the 7^th - 8^th May 2013.  The workshop brought together about thirty civil society organizations from the African continent. The Gambia Committee on Traditional Practices (GAMCOTRAP), one of SOAWR’s members was in attendance and was represented by Senior Programme Coordinator, Mary Small.

 

The purpose of the workshop was to sensitise participants on the upsurge of consequences of unsafe abortion and its effects on the health and lives of African women.  According to the 2010 estimates on maternal mortality and morbidity, the sub-Saharan African and South Asia contributed 86% of deaths; vast majority of which are due to preventable causes that need minimal cost to address.  In Africa alone “25% of all unsafe abortions in Africa, are among adolescents aged 15 to 19 and about 60% among young women under 25 years” (Women’s health, WHO-2009).

 

The workshop also empowered participants to advocate for women to access safe abortion (according to the Law of the country) particularly within the context of the AU Protocol on Women and other women’s instruments agreed upon by States.  

 

The meeting noted that reducing the burden of maternal deaths due to unsafe abortion and realizing women’s rights to reproductive health is within reach in the African region and this has been addressed in regional treaties and agreements including the African Protocol on Women and the Maputo Plan of Action on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.

MFWA Director Charge Ghana Police to Prosecute Bodyguards for locking up Journalists

The Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has charged the Ghana Police Service to act swiftly to arrest and prosecute bodyguards for locking up four Ghanaian journalists in a church.

The men believed to be bodyguards of Prophet T.B Joshua, Founder and Overseer of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), on May 7, 2013 detained four journalists belonging to Accra-based media organisations for several hours, a statement from MFWA stated.

The journalists were locked up in a room at the church premises located at the Spintex Road, a suburb of Accra, the capital according to the statement. It took the intervention of a police officer identified as Supt. Alex Kumankani, before the journalists were released.

Ex-Embattled Jammeh & Co. Case Set For Trial

Hearing will begin in the trial of ex-embattled director general of National Drug Enforcement Agency NDEA together with three top officials come May 13, 2013.

Benedict Jammeh, ex-NDEA PRO Abdoulie Ceesay, Foday Barry, former director of Intelligence and Investigations at Holgam of the NDEA and Commissioner Yusupha Jatta, former head of the NDEA in the West Coast Region are on trial in Banjul at the High Court.

It’s barely 72 hours, when Benedict and his co-accused denied 45 counts of economic crime, false publication, false information, abuse of office, and fabricating evidence.

When the case resume yesterday, May 2, all the accuse pleaded not guilty on the remaining 45 counts, making it 90 counts.

Gambia and Ethiopia Are among the nations holding journalists in jail

As the world celebrates world press freedom day today May 3, there are lot of journalist in Africa who are behind bars and others killed for carrying their responsibilities’ to the public.

At least 41 African journalists will spend World Press Freedom Day imprisoned in direct reprisal for their work, according to a letter sent to the African Union on the celebration of world press freedom day.

“.It is particularly disturbing that Ethiopia and the Gambia, which host offices of the African Union, are among the nations holding journalists in jail” it stated.

Benedict Jammeh & Co. Pleaded Not Guilty on 45 Criminals Counts But….

 

The former director general and public relation officer of National Drug Enforcement Agency has denied charges of economic crimes, false information among others.

But accused persons only pleaded not guilty on 45 counts out of the 90 counts because the defense counsels request for an adjournment to attend other matters.

Benedict Jammeh, alongside ex-NDEA PRO Abdoulie Ceesay, Foday Barry, former director of Intelligence and Investigations at Holgam of the NDEA and Commissioner Yusupha Jatta, former head of the NDEA in the West Coast Region are facing 90 counts of economic crime, false publication, false information, abuse of office, and fabricating evidence at the High Court in Banjul.

The accused persons are alleged to have, extracted from the monies recovered from the 38, 500 Euros and the local currency amounting to D6, 000. They accuse persons are also accuse of organising a party for their operatives, which monies should have been tendered as exhibits to the court.