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| Amie Bojan-Sissoho leading the procession |
One Billion Rising For Justice, an event being
held around world turned out a moment filled with emotions and joy under the
unnoticed hot and typical African burning sun in The Gambia, demanding justice
in the fight against Female Genital Mutilation and domestic violence.
Done in a style, The Gambia commemorated the event with a procession and symposium at TANGO offices where
hundreds of people women, men, youth groups, institutions and school children
rose up to dance, singing very emotional songs.
One Billion Rising for Justice is a
global call to women survivors of violence and those who love them to gather
safely outside places where they are entitled to justice. Places
like courthouses, police stations, government offices, school
administration buildings, work places, sites of environmental injustice, military
courts, embassies, places of worship, homes, or simply public gathering places.
In The
Gambia, GAMCOTRAP, a woman’s right NGO, who have over the years been very
active and effective in the promotion of women and children’s rights lead the
activity. The organisation is well known for its stance against harmful
cultural practices particularly those that relates to Female Genital Mutilation
(FGM), and other discriminatory early practices. They joined the global
energy to strike, dance and rise against Violence against women calling for an
end to FGM, marriage and other gender discriminatory practices affecting women
and men.
